Legends Scatter
by Resolution
Summary: Two soldiers, from an Earth unlike the one we know, are pulled from their world at the moment of their deaths. Upon awaking in Remnant, they find themselves pulled into the events of a planet both similar and different from their own, and it all starts when they meet a young girl in a red hood. AU, starting after volume 1. Rated T for some language and violence.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** **Before I begin, let me say thanks for deciding to give this story a chance. This is/** **was** **my first attempt to write fanfiction of any kind, so please keep that in mind. Please leave a review if you've got some constructive advice, and I'll try to listen!**

 **Originally posted: August 14th, 2015**

 **RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _So this is how I die._

This was the only thought going through the mind of Alex Greene. The dropship that had been meant to evacuate his team had taken anti-air fire, and come crashing back down into the city. It hadn't taken long for the enemy to close in. Both Humans and Shades; oh-so many Shades. The shadowy creatures were quite literally flooding Alex's position. And the worst part? Aside from himself, Alex had only one soldier left, Dimitri, his very first teammate. Of course, there were worst people to die with than your best friend.

He and Dimitri had been holed up in the wreckage of the dropship for nearly an hour as of this moment. They weren't even exchanging words anymore, simply introducing the oncoming enemies to the business ends of their rapidly dwindling ammunition. Alex's rifle gave a sharp click, and the expended magazine was quickly exchanged for a fresh one.

"Last mag, boss," Alex heard Dimitri mutter. Alex checked his own supply, two extras left. He handed one to his companion.

"Make it count, alright?"

He got a nod in return. They quickly returned to their defensive positions, awaiting the next wave. Something struck Alex. Where had all the enemy soldiers gone? One moment they had been pouring down their throats, and now, complete silence.

The answer to Alex's question came in the form of a blinding flash of light. A giant mushroom cloud sprouting high above the skyscrapers. Alex dropped his weapon to his side, letting the rifle hang by its strap. Dimitri put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's been an honor, boss."

"Yeah," Alex nodded, and for one last moment, closed his eyes. "You too... See you on the other side..." The searing light engulfed the two, and when it cleared nothing remained in its wake.

Major Alex Greene and Sergeant Dimitri Averin were declared killed in action in service of the Earth Defense Coalition, added to the long list of friends and family members claimed by war.

* * *

Alex opened his eyes as a soft breeze brushed against his face. He was on his back, looking at the sky. Red leafed trees surrounded him, rustling gently in the wind. He was still in his combat gear and his rifle sat discarded in the dirt nearby. Dimitri also lay a short distance away, picking himself up off the ground.

"Still in one piece, D?"

Dimitri stretched and rolled his shoulders.

"Affirmative."

Dimitri grabbed his helmet off the ground, and shoved the article onto his head.

"Hey, Boss?"

"Yeah?"

"Where the hell are we?"

* * *

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 4/16/16.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, I'm on a bit of a roll, so here's chapter 1. Updates for this are going to probably be erratic, so I can't really give a good idea of any sort of schedule. Please review and/or favorite to let me know what you think!**

 **RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The forest of Forever Fall was oddly quiet. Not that it was a bad thing, especially for one particular girl. Ruby Rose found the silence to be quite soothing, actually. Technically she wasn't supposed to travel out into Forever Fall without supervision, but Ruby felt confident that she could handle herself if any Grimm decided to cross her path.

A small, pitch-black bird fluttered down onto a tree branch, facing away from the red-hooded girl. A young Nevermore. Ruby unfolded her weapon, Crescent Rose, into its gun form and leveled it at the Grimm. Now would be an excellent time to see whether or not her calibrations to her scythe-rifle had improved its performance. Her baby should always be in peak condition, after all.

She pulled the trigger and the dark creature vanished in a puff of feathers and bone, followed by the resounding _crack_ of the bullet. Ruby hopped up onto the branch the Nevermore had been occupying. It clearly hadn't been watching her, so Ruby was curious as to what caught the Grimm's attention. She squinted her eyes at the red trees, trying to pick out anything unusual.

"Hmm, what's that?" Ruby caught a glimpse of two figures, dressed in drab green and tan, then felt a mix of confusion and curiosity wash over her as one of the humanoid shapes faded to match the colors of Forever Fall.

* * *

"Something's up with my armor's multi-cam, Boss." Dimitri currently had the chest piece of his armor removed and on the ground. A panel lay tossed aside while the Russian fiddled with the internal components.

"Here, let me take a look at that," Alex gestured for Dimitri to hand him the armor. After a quick look, Alex pressed several loose wires back into their proper homes. "Try it now."

Dimitri donned the chest piece and pressed a small button on top of the left shoulder. The metal and cloth of the armor gave a slight shimmer, then shifted to better match the hues of the surrounding environment.

"That's better."

* * *

Ruby, against her better judgement, had decided to further investigate the two figures. Of course, now that they seemed to have blended into Forever Fall's trees, they would be much harder to locate. Ruby activated her semblance, accelerating to speeds faster than any athlete in mere seconds. She stopped behind a particularly large tree, and peered around its trunk.

 _There you are._ She thought to herself, observing the two men milling about a nearby clearing. Both were much larger than her. One, with blond hair, was the shorter of the two, but it seemed like he was the one in charge, since the bigger one kept calling him "Boss". Then there was the second man. The brown haired Human was absolutely massive. While the blond one looked to be around six feet tall, by Ruby's estimate, the larger man still stood around a head and a half taller than his companion. He also had a strange accent, unlike anything Ruby had heard before. The student idly felt her foot touch against a fragile twig on the ground. She shifted herself away from the branch, letting out a sigh of relief. Ruby quickly shoved her hands over her mouth.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Alex whipped around at the small sound, rifle raised at the red trees.

"Probably nothing, Boss. I think the quiet and near death experience made us jumpy," Dimitri chuckled, "Is that..?" He pointed off into the trees. Alex followed the direction of his friend's hand. There, off in the thick brush, was a familiar hunk of metal. The dropship where they had made their last stand.

The two of them approached the wreck and Alex gave it a once-over. Aside from it's change in location, it was undeniably the same Dragonfly they had crashed in.

"Here, D, help me search for anything we can use."

The two sifted through the debris occupying the cargo area. Dimitri grabbed hold of something and gave a triumphant laugh.

"Ah-ha! My friend followed us!" The Russian pulled a large machine gun from a pile of scrap. The weapon was a belt-fed squad assault weapon, or SAW, often affectionately referred to by EDC personnel as a "shredder". Dimitri's personal weapon, however, sported many scuffs, notches, and scratches, testament of its many years of service alongside its operator.

"How much ammo's laying around for your pal there?"

Dimitri finished fishing around the twisted metal, pulling a few belts out of a pile.

"Three extra belts... Maybe... three hundred and fifty? Here, take these back," Dimitri tossed Alex the two spare magazines for the assault rifles. They had only one last place to check, the cockpit, which was currently sealed by a broken door. Alex gripped the edge of the hatch and began to pull, but to seemingly no avail.

"Give me a hand, would ya?"

Dimitri joined him and together the two managed to rip the door open with a loud screech. Alex gagged and Dimitri winced as the scent they had been dreading came wafting out: the smell of burned flesh. Sure enough, the bodies of the brave pilot and co-pilot that had come to extract them remained strapped into their seats, given no chance to escape as an anti-air round tore into the craft's canopy.

"D? Think you can find us a shovel?"

"Yes... Let's give them a proper burial."

Alex pulled the two bodies from their chairs, setting them on the ground as Dimitri retrieved a pair of spades from the wreckage. With a solemn air, the two soldiers began to dig.

* * *

Ruby resisted the urge to vomit. She had heard of some horrible things in her life, but one of the things she hadn't been exposed to was corpses, especially not ones like that. Two bodies lay on the ground, one male and one female, both burned almost beyond recognition. One horrific detail stood out to Ruby, the expression that seemed to be frozen on their faces: fear.

She watched the two men work silently, digging two deep gouges into the soil. A sudden crisp snap made Ruby jump to attention. She found its source almost immediately, a couple of werewolf-like Grimm, Beowolves, lurking just beyond the edge of the clearing, watching, like her. Of course, unlike her, they wouldn't have heads in a few moments.

* * *

Dimitri and Alex patted the last shovelful of dirt into place. Alex then placed two unfired bullets at the heads of the graves. The blond had kept their ID tags, added them to his morbid collection of mementos of fallen friends. Dimitri's hand was on his shoulder again, always reassuring him that there was someone watching his back.

Alex felt another hand barely brush against his arm. He and Dimitri blurred into action, and the offending newcomer found themselves thrown onto their back with Alex's combat knife to their throat and Dimitri's shredder trained on them.

"Ow..." The newcomer groaned. Alex quickly removed his blade from the neck of the young girl, who sprung to her feet in a flash. Alex scratched the back of his helmet, he really was getting jumpy, he'd almost gutted a teenager.

"I'm really sorry about that, Miss..."

"Ruby. Ruby Rose."

 _Oh thank god,_ Alex thought to himself. She spoke English.

"Well, Miss Rose, I apologize again. My friend and I are lost, so we're a bit on edge."

"Oh, well, I was kinda asking for it by following you around," she smiled sheepishly.

"Um, so this may be an odd question, but where are we?"

"Forever Fall."

The blond haired man just stared back at her blankly.

"Where?" How could he not know where Forever Fall was?

"Have you been living under a rock or something? Everyone knows Forever Fall."

"Assume I don't."

Upon closer examination, Ruby noted that the blond, blue-eyed man was much younger than she had thought. He wasn't as young as her or her classmates, but he looked like he wasn't even out of his twenties yet. The other man, however, appeared to be in his early or mid thirties.

"Okay... so... this place is Forever Fall, near the city of Vale."

"Vale?"

"Are you serious?" Ruby eyed him incredulously. The blond gave a sigh.

"Alright. Making myself seem even crazier, then... What planet are we on?"

"Remnant."

* * *

 _Crap._ Well that settled it. They weren't even in known space, let alone on Earth anymore.

"Are you guys aliens?"

 _Huh?_ Alex returned his attention to the Ruby. He vaguely noted that she had silver eyes.

"Um... Considering the circumstances...?" He saw her eyes gain an odd gleam, "No. Definitely not."

"Well if you guys are lost, why don't you come back to Beacon with me?"

"Beacon?" Dimitri asked, breaking his silence.

"Right. You guys wouldn't know. Beacon is a school for Huntsmen and Huntresses," she noticed the confused look on their faces, "which are, like, defenders of the people." Alex gave a chuckle at that.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. You just reminded me of some people from our home."

"Oh? And where's that?"

"You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"Nope." She gave a toothy grin.

"Fine. It's going to sound crazy, though."

"Crazy's fairly normal around here."

"So, since I've failed to introduce myself, I'm Alex Greene. This is my friend and squadmate, Dimitri Averin. We're not from Remnan-"

"AH-HA! So-"

"Not finished!" Alex cut the girl off, "You're a Human, yes?"

"Uh, yeah, what else would I be?"

"See, that's where I'm going with this. You see, we're Humans too, just... not from here."

"Oh, okay."

Alex just stared at her for a moment.

"You're taking this surprisingly well."

"Just not the weirdest thing I've ever heard." She looked around, noticing the sky had darkened considerably, "So, we should probably head to Beacon, we've been just standing here for a while."

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rose." Dimitri decided to speak up again and offer his hand to the small girl.

"You too, Mr... Dimitri, right? You and Alex can tell me about your home on our way back."

The two watched Ruby begin walking down the path, then started following from a short distance. Dimitri beckoned Alex to come closer.

"She's certainly a strange girl, isn't she?" Dimitri whispered.

"Yeah," Alex nodded, "but, to be honest, this whole place seems strange..."

* * *

 **A/N: Well I'm not sure how I feel about this one, I feel like it might drag at some points. Hopefully there weren't too many grammatical errors as well. Regardless, thanks for reading, I'll be back with another chapter as soon as possible!**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 4/16/16.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here we go, Chapter 2!**

 **RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"So, what's your home like?" Ruby chattered. Alex and Dimitri had been barraged with all sorts of questions for the last half-hour or so. Their young companion definitely had energy to spare.

"Well, you wouldn't see a forest like this back home. Most of our world is covered with buildings," Dimitri explained. He and Alex had decided to omit many details about the war, since they saw no point in chancing Ruby becoming afraid of them.

"Really? That's so cool! Remnant only has its four kingdoms."

"What's stopping them from expanding?" Alex questioned.

"Oh, that'd be the Grimm."

"Grimm?"

"Big, nasty shadowy monsters with spikes and stuff."

Alex felt Dimitri nudge him, "sounds an awful lot like a Shade, doesn't it?"

"Ooh! What's a Shade?" The young girl had actually slowed her brisk pace to stay closer to the conversation. Dimitri cleared his throat.

"In our world, we've got monsters kind of like your Grimm. We call them Shades. Though, they're puppets, someone has to make and command them."

"Oh, okay. I don't think the Grimm have much organization. Plus they're just kinda... there." Ruby suddenly noticed a feeling that someone had eyes on her. It was Alex, but what what was he-

"Um, Mr. Alex, I know I'm cute and all, but it feels like you're gonna burn a hole through the back of my head."

He jumped slightly.

"Sorry! I was wondering what that was on your back," he pointed to the folded Crescent Rose.

"It's my baby!" She exclaimed happily, unfolding the scythe, "Ta-da!" Alex and Dimitri shared a look, then started laughing. "Hey! Don't laugh at Crescent Rose!" Ruby made a pouting face, and Dimitri patted her on the head.

"Our apologies, Ruby. You just reminded us of someone we knew."

"Really? Who?"

"There was a boy, not much older than you, that wielded a scythe back in our world."

"What was his name?" Alex gave it some thought, then realized something.

"Y'know, I never actually got his real name, everybody just called him the 'Reaper'." The blond man gave a small shrug.

"That's too bad, he sounds pretty cool. Though I doubt his scythe could shoot high-impact sniper bullets." Alex chuckled at the smug smile that had spread over Ruby's face.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was just a scythe."

"Ooh!" Ruby said after a short lapse. "I've got another one! What about-"

* * *

The trio had arrived in Vale, but the two men were given no time to admire it, as Ruby quickly shuffled them onto some sort of VTOL aircraft she called a "Bullhead". After a short ride, the craft landed on hard ground with a small thud. Alex looked up as he stepped out, spotting a large castle-like building with a single spire towering in the middle.

"We're here! Welcome to Beacon!" Alex, heard footsteps and a cane arrive seemingly out of nowhere. Someone had been waiting. The soldier's hand reflexively went for his sidearm.

"Out for a late afternoon stroll, Miss Rose?" The newcomer asked kindly. He was an older man, with gray hair and brown eyes, dressed in a sharp black and green suit, holding a cup of coffee in one hand, and a cane in the other.

"Uh, g-good evening, Professor Ozpin!" Ruby fidgeted. Alex relaxed a bit, his hand moving away from his gun. It probably wasn't a good idea to shoot one of the staff at Ruby's school. Ozpin took a sip from the mug, casting a glance at Alex and Dimitri. They had seen this kind of look before. Ozpin appeared calm, but he was sizing them up.

"Normally, Miss Rose, I'd remind you that going into Forever Fall unsupervised is strictly forbidden," Ruby's face fell at Ozpin's words, "however, since you weren't unsupervised, there is no issue. Now, if you'd run along to your dorm, I'd like to speak with these gentlemen." Ruby gave Alex and Dimitri a questioning glance, the latter of whom made a joking shooing motion with his hands. The girl gave a small smile, then tore off down the cement, towards the academy.

"Now, if the two of you would kindly follow me," Ozpin said. It clearly wasn't phrased as a request. The silver-haired man led the two of them into the building, seeming to keep them out of highly occupied corridors. Apparently with good reason, as the few students that did pass the two of them all shot them odd looks, probably because of their weapons and armor.

Ozpin eventually came to a stop at the door of an office in the central spire. He opened the door with a key, then gestured for Alex and Dimitri to step inside. He followed them in, quickly shutting and locking the door behind him. The soldiers found themselves seated in front of a large desk, Ozpin settling in on the opposite side.

"Now then, my name is Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy. May I ask your names?"

"Alex Greene."

"Dimitri Averin."

Ozpin nodded, "I would like to thank you both for watching after Miss Rose, she has a tendency to... _wander_."

"We really didn't do much, it was pretty quiet," Alex said.

"Hmm, well I suppose you might have Miss Rose to thank for that. But, that's not what I wish to speak to you about. I'd like to ask about where you're from."

Dimitri shot Alex a sideways glance, asking whether they should tell Ozpin what they told Ruby. Alex decided to test the waters first.

"Excuse me, sir, but what do you mean?"

"I mean your world,"

 _Ah, crap._

"I'd very much like to know about it."

"How can you tell that we're not from here?"

Ozpin gave a small laugh, "aside from your clothing and weapons? The fact that neither of you has any evidence of a Semblance."

"A what?"

"My point exactly." Ozpin went on a quick tangent, explaining the concept how of an "aura" was a manifestation of a living being's soul, and how every single life form had one. He also began explaining the unique supernatural abilities of every person in Remnant, called "Semblances". Ozpin noticed that after his initial explanation, the two soldiers' faces took on appearances of recollection and understanding, rather than surprise.

"I take it the two of you have something similar in your home?"

Alex nodded. "We have people we call 'Auras' back in our world, people with abilities over fire or ice, and ones that can level buildings with their minds," Alex noticed something resembling shock pass through Ozpin's eyes, "But, not everyone was an Aura, maybe around one in two-hundred was."

"I assume these Auras were feared in an environment like that..."

Another nod.

"Yes. There were multiple groups of people that even hunted them down. And that eventually sparked into a full blown war between the Earth Defense Coalition and a group called the Order."

Ozpin appeared genuinely enthralled by this discussion.

"It also sounds like the Auras follow a more categorized form of development," the Headmaster stated.

"Something like that. It was always explained as: control over an 'element' plus a 'secondary ability'. Neither of us is one, so I can't explain it well."

"Understandable, of course," Ozpin shifted his glasses, "Now, Mr. Greene. Mr. Averin, I'd like to speak to you about offering you both a job."

"Huh?" Alex raised his eyebrows.

"As I understand it, you have nowhere to go, yes? Therefore, I would like to hire you as security for Beacon. You will get shelter, food, and supplies as you need it. In exchange, I'd like to hear more about your home occasionally... and I'd like for you to report directly to me on any suspicious events that may take place."

 _So that's it,_ Alex suddenly realized. "What kind of threat are you preparing for, sir?" The corner of Ozpin's mouth twitched.

"All I can say is that _something_ is coming. I need people capable of fighting on a moment's notice."

"What about all the Huntsmen that Ruby was talking about?"

"Most Huntsmen and Huntresses are out in the wilds, fighting Grimm or defending frontier towns. The only ones that seem to come this far into the Kingdoms are mostly those that have retired from fighting. And I refuse to let the students fight a war."

"What makes you think that the two of us are even capable?"

"Your bearing, for one, you carry yourselves like soldiers. And second, your eyes. You can tell a lot about a person from their eyes, and yours have seen more than your fair share of bloodshed."

Alex sighed, giving in. He looked to Dimitri, who remained silent, but gave him a nod.

"Alright, I guess we're in. When do we start?"

Ozpin grinned and reached into his desk, pulling out two small, glass tablets.

"As soon as possible. These," he gestured to the tablets, "are your scrolls. They will serve as your maps, communication devices, and room keys."

"You opened this room with an old-fashioned key though," Dimitri finally spoke up.

"Of course, Mr. Averin. That way, I'm the only one with a way in."

Dimitri looked like he was going to bring up picking the lock, but decided against it.

"Now then, Gentlemen," Ozpin handed the scrolls to each of them, "let me be the second to say... 'welcome to Beacon'."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the lengthy world-building dialogue. It hurts, I know, but it'll be worth it in the end.**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 4/16/16.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: THE ROLL CONTINUES!**

 **RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Alex yawned, waking from his sleep and opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. The rooms that Ozpin had provided were quite comfortable. He wasn't sure when the last time he had rested so well had been. Alex checked his scroll, grabbing it off a bedside table. There was a message from Ozpin, outlining things he needed to know about the academy and his responsibilities. It seemed like unless they were needed for something specific, he and Dimitri were free to simply walk around the campus.

"I've signed up to be a glorified hall monitor, haven't I?" Alex sighed to himself, he might as well get something to eat, since the last time he had was prior to arriving in Remnant. He quickly donned his armor, shifting the color of the metal to black and the cloth to a dark gray, it seemed more professional in his head. He could only carry his sidearm and combat knife around on campus, so the rifle was to be safely stored in his room unless needed.

Upon approaching the cafeteria, Alex noticed two boys staring into the hall from outside the door. One was blonde, and the other had startlingly blue hair.

"Something wrong?"

The two jumped and spun around to face him.

"Er, hey," the blond one started nervously. "You a student?"

"No. New security. I was just heading to grab something to eat." _Oh, hey he has a tail._

"You may want to hold off on that..." The blue haired boy stated. Alex moved past them, pushing the door open.

"Why? What's going-" He ducked underneath a flying pie. What in the world was happening? It took him a moment to process what he was seeing. A large number of tables had been stacked on top of each other, on which four students stood.

"I'm queen of the castle!" One of them, an orange-haired girl, chanted. Down below the stack, there were four other students, and Alex recognized one of them. He'd better control this before it got any worse. Though it would take him a while to avoid all the flying food.

He picked his way through the cafeteria, using flipped tables as cover.

 _Its like a warzone. Though I guess I won't die in this case._ Alex thought to himself. He got close enough to the core of the fighting.

"RUBY!" He yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Her head whipped around.

"Um, it's not what it looks like?" She began nervously.

"Really? Because it looks like you're destroying the building." The doors of the cafeteria burst open, and a woman came storming in, riding crop in hand. With a flick of her wrist, the tables and chairs that had been strewn about returned to their proper places. She then approached the eight offending teens.

"Children," she growled through her teeth, "do not play with your food." Alex shook his head. This woman would probably give his drill instructor a run for his money. He continued to watch as she berated the kids, until Ozpin entered the building. The headmaster put a hand on her shoulder, and casually waved the students off. He then turned to Alex.

"Good morning, Mr. Greene. How has your day been so far?"

"Eventful."

"I assume you were looking for something to eat? You know you have access to the staff lounge, yes?" Alex smacked himself in the forehead.

* * *

Alex had finally gotten some coffee and food, and he felt much better. Dimitri had joined him at his table after a while, in addition to Ozpin and the woman from earlier, who had introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch. Ozpin had apparently informed the Beacon staff of his and Dimitri's circumstances, so they wouldn't have to tiptoe around them.

"So, Mr. Greene, Mr. Averin, how are you two settling in?"

"It's very nice."

"Nicer than we're used to, actually," Dimitri laughed, drawing a chuckle from Ozpin and Alex. Glynda remained stoic.

"Anyway, Glynda had a question for the both of you." Ozpin readjusted his glasses.

"Yes, I was wondering whether one of you could assist me with combat training tomorrow. The students could always use a new perspective."

"That sounds fine. Do you want one of us specifically to do it, or is either fine?"

"Either." This prompted Dimitri to slap Alex on the back.

"Well, you're the boss, after all."

* * *

A frightening sound echoed through a distant forest. A loud shockwave shook the trees.

"These creatures are quite pitiful, aren't they?" A man dressed in blackened armor asked. A pitch-black wolf-like sat at his side. He hadn't even been here that long, and he had been beset almost immediately by beasts resembling werewolves in masks. They hadn't been an obstacle. He had ripped them apart with ease. Of course he had an army at his disposal. He pet the wolf, which opened it's mouth in a yawn. The creature was hollow, nothing but a shell with an internal red glow.

* * *

Meanwhile in Atlas, another man awoke in a field.

 _Where_ _am I_ _? How did I get here?_ The last thing he remembered was sharp pain piercing his chest. Before that? He had handed his heirloom to that kid to deliver to his son.

 _Damn. I'm drawing a blank on his name._ He checked his gear: a tattered and scorched trench coat, handgun, and of course, his trusty shortsword. He'd have to see whether there was anyone he knew floating around. It wouldn't be that hard to look.

The man concentrated for a moment, and the air around him suddenly heated. The grass around his feet began to dry and wither. A pair of crow wings sprung to life on his back, made of deep violet flames. He leaped into to air, causing the brush beneath him to flare and begin to burn.

 _Oh wait. I remember his name now. Greene. Alex Greene._

* * *

 **A/N: Ok, we've now entered plot territory. I plan on following Volume 2 for the first part of this, with** **some** **changes and Alex and Dimitri's story interspersed. After I hit the end of Volume 2, I will diverge from canon. I'll take whatever volume 3 introduces into consideration, but I likely will be ignoring it's story.**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 4/1** **7** **/16.**


	5. Chapter 4

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Alex strolled down the halls of Beacon towards the combat ring. From what Glynda had told him, it sounded like quite a few students needed pointers. He pushed open the door to the ring, finding it already filled to the brim with uniformed teens. Alex had elected to wear his armor to the class. While he was confident he could win against any of the first year students, semblance or not, it was better to not risk being injured by one of the students' weapons.

Glynda stood at the edge of the ring, waiting for Alex to walk his way over. Once he was standing next to her, she turned to the class.

"I have asked Mr. Greene, one of our new security guards, to assist the class today. He will be giving pointers to all of you during your matches. The team that he considers the best of the day will have a chance to face him in a match."

 _Crap, she didn't say anything about facing a whole team._

"Now, break into your groups and begin."

It was a fairly dull experience from Alex's point of view. He'd occasionally find a student making a small error, and he would point it out. Except for one male student. He recognized the blond from the incident in the cafeteria: Jaune Arc. The boy wasn't necessarily the worst the soldier had ever seen, but he was definitely the least capable fighter among his classmates. So, Alex had so far spent most of the class reminding Jaune of the same thing.

"Up, Arc! Keep your shield up!" _Oh god, I'm_ _slowly_ _becoming my old drill instructor._ Alex sighed as Jaune found himself knocked off his feet by his green-wearing teammate, Lie Ren. The rest of this team, JNPR, were some of the best fighters in their year, but it felt like Jaune kind of held them back. Maybe he'd talk to the boy personally at some point.

Alex noticed something, Jaune's fighting style. The swings and chops were very similar to his partner's. In fact, they were almost identical. Clearly he wasn't the only one who wanted to see Jaune improve.

Alex's attention was drawn to the match containing a certain cloaked girl. Ruby's team operated in a relatively effective manner, but he noticed one critical flaw. Ruby would often separate from her partner and rush in, instead of waiting for help. He'd seen this kind of behavior in soldiers back home. In a classroom or tournament setting this wasn't a hugely glaring problem, but it would get you killed in the real world. Alex heard Glynda's scroll beep loudly, and she called for the sparring matches to stop.

"Mr. Greene, which team do you think did the best today?" Alex looked out at the expectant stares of the students. Why they decided to put so much weight on his opinion, he wasn't sure. JNPR hadn't done badly, but as a whole they needed some work. CRDL and most of the other teams seemed to use brute force over strategy. Maybe he was being biased, but the clear choice was-

"Team RWBY."

"Very well," Glynda nodded. "Miss Rose, if you and your team would step into the ring, please."

Ruby and her team more or less jumped into the circle, readying their weapons. Alex held up his hand.

"Allow me to explain my terms of engagement," The four girls eyed him oddly, "The match will end once any of you land a single solid hit on me."

There was a small uproar of "Is he nuts?" and "You're kidding" from the crowd of students. Alex adopted a ready pose. In order for him to win, he'd have to eliminate his opponents from the match quickly. He knew their general fighting styles from watching, but none of them had seen him fight, and he intended to press that advantage.

"Begin the match!" Glynda called.

Here came Ruby, rocketing ahead of her team towards the other end of the ring. Alex had to time it just right...there! He managed to grab the haft of Crescent Rose, and used his new grip to pull the girl in a circular motion around him, and promptly toss her out of the circle.

"Miss Rose has been ejected from the ring and has been disqualified."

"Sorry, Ruby." She gave him a pouting glare.

He only had a moment to roll to his right, avoiding the remaining three girls who had decided to attack all at once.

 _Alright, next biggest threat. That'd be...Weiss._

Ruby's partner essentially filled their team's support role, so eliminating her next would yield the best results. Alex whipped out his handgun, loaded with training bullets, courtesy of Ozpin. He pressed his offensive on Weiss, rapidly peppering her with shots. She managed to block a few of the bullets, but the sheer volume picked away at her aura. Alex had to stay mobile while firing, pouring rounds at Weiss while keeping his distance from the other two, who thankfully had weapons with a lower effective range.

"Miss Schnee's aura has fallen into the red. She has been eliminated," Glynda reported, adjusting her glasses idly as she watched the scroll in her hands. Weiss sheathed her weapon and stormed off the ring, a rather foul mood painted on her face.

 _Two left. Now to deal with- oh crap!_ It seemed that Ruby's remaining teammates, Yang and Blake, had figured out Alex's game. Since they only had to hit him once, so Blake was right in his face, and Yang was firing blasts from her weaponized gauntlets in quick succession. Suddenly, they switched, Blake jumped back, switching her weapon into its gun form and opening fire. This forced Alex back into Yang, who was ready to jump at him with more shotgun shells. He couldn't avoid them both, so he'd take one with him. He emptied his handgun at Blake, then was thrown forward as Yang's fist connected with his back. Glynda called the match.

"Miss Belladonna's aura has dropped into the red, and Mr. Greene has been hit. The match is over, victory to team RWBY." The bell rung, and the students shuffled out the door. Alex caught snippets of their conversations as they left.

"That was awesome!"

"He's kinda cute, right?" _WHAT?_ Alex felt around his back where Yang had punched him. The armor hadn't covered that point, so he had to check. Sure enough, his hand came back with a bit of blood on it.

"Hey! Hey, Mr. Alex!" Ruby came hopping over, followed by her team.

"Hello, Ruby. That was a good match."

"Yeah, though maybe next time you could _not_ get me disqualified right away?"

"Sure, next time."

"We haven't been introduced! I'm Yang!" Ruby's sibling stepped forward, "I'm Ruby's sister."

 _I really don't see the resemblance._ Alex thought to himself.

"Nice to meet you, Yang," the soldier greeted.

She gestured to the other two members of their team.

"And this is Blake and the Ice Queen."

"Hey!" the snow-haired girl of the four, Weiss, snapped.

Alex chuckled at the banter. "I know who you all are. Ozpin gave me files on every student attending the academy. Though it's nice to meet you in person, Blake and Weiss."

Yang noticed his hand, "Are you bleeding? Shouldn't your Aura have healed that?"

Alex froze. How was he going to get out of-

"Mr. Greene exhausted his aura in the course of his work. Now run along, you all have classes to get to."

 _Thank you, Glynda._

The four girls bid their farewells, then all but ran out of the training hall. Glynda eyed the injury on Alex's back.

"You may want to get that looked at."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"Trust me, this is nothing. I've had much worse."

"Suit yourself," She began to exit the hall, then suddenly stopped and turned around, "at least bandage it." She then left without another word.

* * *

Alex had hastily patched his wound back in his room, slapping a rectangular bandage over the injury along with a copious amount of disinfectant. Ozpin had sent him a message, telling him to take it easy for the rest of the day, so Alex had decided to spend time setting things up in his room. He really couldn't personalize anything, as his only belongings were what came with him from Earth. However, he had one thing to place.

He took out his old standard-issue tactical pad, something he had been carrying in his pockets since long before coming to Remnant. He set the tablet at an angle on the bedside table, and after a few presses and some fiddling, a picture sprung to life on the screen.

The image was of a large group of people, forty individuals to be exact, with Alex and Dimitri standing prominently at the front. The picture had been taken after Alex's first mission as a Major, capturing the victorious soldiers, pilots, and support staff in all their glory. A series of letters and numbers were printed along the bottom-right corner: EDC-STRD-1I, which Alex recalled stood for Earth Defense Coalition, Special Tactical Response Division, First Infantry. He broke into a sad smile at all the faces grinning up at him. So many of them had died on his watch. More than half in that last fight alone.

A thought crossed his mind. What if some of the others were here? It was a bad idea for him to hope without reason, but maybe, just maybe...

* * *

In the skies of Atlas, the man with crow wings of violet flame soared. He had spent the last thirty-six hours searching for any sign of somebody from his home. So far, there was nothing.

While crossing over a large city, he spotted someone running through an alleyway. Normally, he wouldn't have even spotted the person, aside from their bright white hair. They were pursued by a half dozen hooded men, and judging by how they ran, they were armed.

 _Well,_ the man thought to himself, _couldn't hurt to take a closer look._ He dropped his altitude, landing on a roof above the ensuing conflict. The person with white hair was a young woman, now cornered by the armed individuals. He was able to pick out the aggressors yells.

"We've got her!"

"Just shoot her and get it over with!" Well, that settled it. He couldn't leave a woman to die, after all. He unfurled his wings and dropped down into the midst of the standoff, causing the participants to jump in shock.

"Don't you all know that's no way to treat a lady?" he asked the masked men with a smile.

"Who the hell's this guy?"

"Doesn't matter, just shoot the Schnee, and we can go!"

"Now, now. That's not an option here, gentlemen. Either you walk away-"

They raised their weapons at him,

"-Or you die."

One of the masks let off a shot. That was his cue. In an instant, his hand was around the man's mask. His flames burst from his palm, engulfing both the mask and its wearer, who fell to the ground screaming in pain. The remaining five backed away from him, then broke into full sprints out of the alley. The man turned towards the young woman, who lost her composure and scrambled back, keeping her eyes on him.

 _Right. Have to turn it off._ His flames flickered out, and the woman noticeably relaxed, like a pressure had been removed from her.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

"Y-yes. Thank you for the timely rescue," she panted back. "May I ask for the name of my rescuer?"

"Charles. Charles Blackwill. At your service, Miss." He gave a small bow.

"My thanks, Mr. Blackwill. I'm Winter Schnee."

"Well, Miss Winter, it'll sound odd, but can you tell me where I am?"

* * *

 **A/N: Charles, arguably my favorite character that I've ever made, has now joined the fun! Yes, he'll be hanging out with Winter for a bit. See you all next time!**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 4/20/16.**


	6. Chapter 5

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Alex heard his scroll beep. A message from Ozpin.

 _'Come to my office. The door is unlocked.'_

A short walk up the tower and one open door later, Alex found himself standing in Ozpin's office. A pair of comfy armchairs had been set up in place of the normal chairs opposite of Ozpin. A green-haired teacher sat in one of them.

"Good evening, Mr. Greene, I believe you haven't met Bartholomew yet, yes?" Ozpin gestured to the green haired man. Alex offered him a hand, which the teacher shook rapidly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Greene. Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, at your service."

"Nice to meet you too, Doc."

"Now to the order of business!" Oobleck stated loudly, before taking a quick swig from a thermos in his hands. Ozpin cleared his throat.

"Yes, of course. Mr. Greene, Bartholomew and myself are interested in hearing more about the Auras from your home. If you wouldn't mind?"

"Right, of course," Alex nodded and sat himself down in a chair beside Oobleck. "So what is it you wanted to know?" Oobleck began pouring out inquiries.

"Ozpin mentioned that your Auras could be categorized how did you do that?"

"The categories?" Alex paused to recall, "There were two general groups Elementals and Physicals. Physicals had control over a single type of 'element': fire, ice, electricity, earth, or wind. Elementals were weirder, they had control over shadows, light, or pure energy. Then on top of those abilities, each Aura had a secondary ability, strength, speed, telekinesis, or some such thing."

He stopped to let the other two men process everything. They both nodded, signaling him to continue.

"Then, there was a sub-group among them, Bloodlines. These guys passed a unique family ability down to their first-born children."

Oobleck held up his hand, "how exactly did these Bloodlines work?"

"The inheritor of a Bloodline ability could use all the abilities and skills of their ancestors. As you might guess, this made them quite frightening on the battlefield. Each Bloodline also followed some sort of theme, usually an element or an emotion. For example, there is a line that embodies anger, another that embodies fear, one for fire, wind, bloodlust, and so on."

Oobleck rubbed his chin, "this is rather confusing." Alex laughed.

"Sorry, Doc. I'm not the one to blame for this."

Ozpin signaled that he had the next question, "How were these people treated?"

"Not well," Alex sighed and looked down. "If we had been pushed to the brink by something like your Grimm, they probably would have been hailed as heroes. Instead, people ended up creating monsters far worse than any other. Auras were even publicly hunted in some communities." Oobleck's face began looking closer in color to his dark green hair.

"That's... absolutely terrible." Oobleck took a deep breath, "Mr. Greene how much do you know about the Faunus?"

"I ran into a student with a monkey tail earlier."

"Yes, Sun Wukong. He is one of many. Here in Remnant, Faunus are treated with much contempt. They have battled for equality for decades, but progress is slow. The whole process is further hindered by the White Fang, a once peaceful group turned terrorists."

"Huh. We had a group sort of like that, called the Order."

"Oh? And what did they do?"

"They waged a full blown war on the whole planet."

Oobleck's jaw dropped, "they had enough numbers to do that?"

"Not really, they figured out how to make these puppets called Shades. They would just make armies of them and overwhelm our positions. The Auras didn't really start taking to the field until later in the war."

"What forced that?"

"Another group, calling themselves Guardians, showed up a few years into the peak of the war. They were originally just a handful of kids, both Auras and not, that decided to take the fight to the Order."

"Really? Wait, by children do you mean-"

"Around the same age as the students, yes." Alex looked at the clock, noticing that it was almost midnight.

"We should stop for today," Ozpin stated as he checked his scroll. "Did you get what you needed, Bartholomew?"

"Yes. I have been given... much to think about." It seemed like the somber discussion had slowed him down a bit.

* * *

Dimitri was still out patrolling the halls. It was quiet, aside from the soft breeze rustling through the trees on campus. He found the architecture of the academy rather fascinating. After spending so much time in bombed out buildings, it felt good to walk through one that was still intact.

Dimitri spotted something in the distance. A flash of light in the city, followed by a ball of fire. Dimitri scrambled for the scroll in his pocket, dialing Alex.

* * *

Alex's scroll beeped. He was still in Ozpin's office.

"D? What's wrong?"

"Something's attacking the city right now!" Dimitri yelled over the scroll. Loud enough for Ozpin and Oobleck to hear. The other two men jumped up.

"Mr. Greene, take Mr. Averin and find out what going on. I'll put the staff on alert."

"We're gonna need a ride."

"I'll have transport ready for you in a few minutes. Now, go!"

Alex ran out of the office, back towards his room, talking to Dimitri as he ran.

"D, head to the landing pad, I'll grab the rest of the gear."

"Roger that."

* * *

Alex burst through into his room, dragging the case he kept his rifle in out from under the bed, as well as a crate of specialized grenades Ozpin had gotten for him. After grabbing what he needed, he entered Dimitri's room to pick up the Russian's Shredder. He ran for the landing pad.

"You on your way yet, Boss?"

Alex's scroll beeped.

"Heading there now. Hold up, Ozpin's calling." He pressed to accept the new call, "Yes, sir?"

"I've convinced General Ironwood to lend us some of his forces, they'll be meeting you on the landing pad."

"Copy that." The called ended. Ironwood... He had arrived with his school for some sort of competition or festival recently. The man was a headmaster of another academy in the kingdom of Atlas. Alex hadn't met the general yet, but Ozpin trusted him, so he supposed that he could too.

* * *

Upon arriving at the pad, Alex spotted Dimitri boarding a transport, a Bullhead if he remembered correctly, along with a dozen armed personnel loading humanoid looking droids onto the VTOL. Ironwood's men stood at attention as he approached.

"Sir! General Ironwood has asked us to assist you in identifying and eliminating the current threat," one of the soldiers said. He and one other had blue shoulder pads on their armor, he assumed they were the squad leaders. They all stepped onto the Bullhead, the machine taking off into the air. Alex's scroll received another incoming call, Ozpin again.

"What's up, sir?"

"I forgot to tell you something. If your armor has any features you need to use, use them now."

"Alright. Got it."

"Be careful, Mr. Greene." The call switched off. The squad leaders stood at the ready. Alex had their names on a roster on his scroll. The squads were led by Sergeants Firo and Carbon.

"Alright, when we land, we'll split into groups. Sergeant Firo, take your squad with Dimitri. Carbon, your squad's with me. D, cycle all systems on your armor, we're clear to use it." He received nods of acknowledgment from the three people in question. He pressed a button on his armor to reset all systems. Donning his helmet, Alex watched the initial diagnostics run. Dimitri did the same.

 _All systems currently offline..._

 _Restarting..._

 _Motion Sensor online..._

 _Active Threat Assessment online..._

 _Shields online..._

 _Main System tests complete..._

 _Running subsystem tests..._

 _Jump Jets testing..._

 _Test Complete...Status: working..._

 _Electro-shock Gauntlets testing..._

 _Test Complete...Status: working..._

 _All test complete..._

"Alright, I'm good to go."

Dimitri gave him a thumbs up.

The pilot blared over the Bullhead's radio, "I've got reports of gunfire at three different points around the city, scattered around the highway. The points have been uploaded to your scrolls. We'll be on the ground in five minutes."

Alex took a deep breath, calming himself as he always did before a fight. He noticed one of Carbon's soldiers, a young woman with wide cerulean eyes and silvery-blue hair poking out from her helmet, shaking in the back of the transport. He walked over to her.

"Are you alright?"

She looked at him with frightened eyes, but gave a small nod.

"What's your name?"

"L- Luna Azure." She squeaked back. Alex had seen plenty of people like her before.

"This your first real mission, Luna?"

"Is- Is it that obvious?"

Alex nodded, then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Take a deep breath, it'll calm you."

She complied, her shaking subsiding a bit.

"Thank you..."

"No problem. I threw up on my first mission, I know what it's like."

The corner of her mouth twitched at Alex's statement.

The radio blared again, "alright people, this is your stop! Give em hell!" The doors slid open, and Alex and Dimitri split up with their teams, alongside the Atlesian droids. Alex transmitted orders over his radio.

"There are three points of conflict East, West, and North of the LZ. Dimitri and Firo, hit the Western target. We'll hit the Eastern one, then both teams will converge on the last point." He received affirmations from the others. Alex took a deep breath, then began to run.

* * *

Alex and his team arrived at the location in a matter of minutes. Local police forces were engaged in a shootout with several dozen masked individuals, all wearing a symbol of a beast with three claw marks. The White Fang.

"Hey, give us a hand!" One of the officers yelled, spotting the soldiers. Alex turned to Carbon.

"Sergeant, take your squad and help the police. I'm going to get a vantage point."

"Yes, sir. But what do you mean by-"

Carbon watched as Alex gunned the jump jets built into his armor and leaped onto the fire escape of a nearby building, then working his way up to the roof.

"Damn, I want armor like that," Carbon muttered.

The sergeant took his squad and joined the police in crouching behind their squad cars, exchanging fire with the White Fang members.

Alex had to jump onto the roof of the next building over to get his needed viewpoint. He tapped the side of his helmet, turning on the Active Threat Assessment function of his visor. The suit would register fast moving projectiles and highlight their flight paths, which allowed the operator to determine a threat's location.

Gunfire was coming from at least six different clusters of enemies, but they were all on street level, so it wasn't a problem. Alex switched his rifle to semi-auto, taking single shots at the White Fang.

A masked Faunus popped up to shoot at the police forces, only for his head to snap backwards as a bullet passed through his skull. Alex continued to press the assault, eliminating any White Fang member that popped up with a gun.

The gunfire slowed, and the police moved on their positions. Alex dropped down off the roof, letting a burst from his jets slow his descent. He signaled Carbon to move up with him, and approached one of the wrecked cars the White Fang had been using as cover. He turned the corner to find a White Fang member with his hands raised.

"Please! Please, don't kill me!" The Faunus, a young man with wolf ears, shouted.

"We're not going to hurt you. Just surrender and turn yourself in." The boy readily nodded, and was quickly handcuffed by the officers. Alex's scroll beeped, and he accepted the call.

"Boss, we've finished up here. The enemy had some sort of large combat mech. Firo and I are all that's left, that thing tore through the cops and the squad like they were nothing."

"Crap. We just finished here, no injuries. Stay on mission, head to the Northern objective."

"Affirmative, I'll let Firo know." The call clicked off.

Alex turned to Carbon.

"You still good, Sergeant?" He asked. Carbon's face broke into a wide grin.

"You kidding? This is the most fun I've had all week!"

Alex chuckled, and they continued down towards the highway.

* * *

 **A/N: Not bad, I think. The fights have turned out better than I thought they would so far. Please leave a review if you want!**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 4/28/16.**


	7. Chapter 6

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Alex ran towards the marked point on the map, followed closely by Sergeant Carbon and his squad, as well as a handful of Altesian droids. As they turned a corner, he spotted Dimitri running along an elevated walkway with Sergeant Firo on his heels. Alex neared the marked location, which was littered with cars. He approached one, finding a horrible sight within, the mangled bodies of the vehicle's occupants.

A resounding blast shook the streets, and Alex spotted a single mech underneath the highway, engaged in combat with four small figures. He signaled Carbon and the others to move on the mech.

They tried to remain silent, picking their way closer to the battle. Upon stopping behind another fallen car, Alex was able to make out the familiar appearances of the figures, team RWBY.

 _Are you kidding me? What the hell do they think they're doing?_ "Open fire! Take it down!"

The soldiers unleashed their weapons at the mech, the bullets denting, but not penetrating, the think metal. The machine turned towards the incoming fire, and a voice spoke from within the chassis.

"Are these more of your friends, Red? Well you might wanna say 'good bye'," The mech's arm flipped into a cannon emitting a blue glow. Alex reacted quickly.

"Scatter!"

Everyone moved at once, splitting up in multiple directions.

"Oh, I get to choose? How about...you." The mech fired a burning sphere of blue plasma at one of the Altesian soldiers. The man gave a short yell, and was consumed by the projectile, leaving nothing but a scorch mark. Alex heard Luna give a small squeak, she was crouched behind another wrecked car. Sergeant Firo lay on their side behind a concrete barricade. As much as he hated to involve the kids, Alex would have to ask them for help.

"Ruby! You and your team go for its legs! We'll keep the pressure on!" He saw her return a quick nod, then she began issuing instructions to her team.

 _Not bad. She isn't rushing in this time._ "D, you have any explosives left?"

"Negative, Firo and I blew them all on the last one of these things." Came the reply over the radio. That left Alex with the handful of grenades strapped to his belt, and the explosives held by the remaining soldiers.

"Carbon, have the droids draw fire, the rest of us will flank."

"Copy that." The Atlesian droids moved from cover, spitting shots at the mech. Alex motioned for the squad to move around to the right. One. Two. Three. Where was Luna? She was still behind the car, now curled up and shaking.

 _Guess this is more than a bit intense for someone's first mission._ Alex ran over to her, since the mech's attention was still split between the droids and RWBY. He reached out and touched her arm.

"Luna?" She looked at him, her eyes devoid of anything except panic. "Come on, I need you to get up. I've got a plan, but I need you to come with me." No response. He looked her right in the eyes. "It will be alright. Trust me, okay?" She blinked a few times, returning to her senses.

"A-alright. I-I'm up."

Alex held his hand out to her, helping her onto her feet. The two joined the rest of the flanking team. Alex took out the grenades on his belt, holding them out to Luna.

"Here's the plan. I'm going to get the thing's attention and try to get it to hold still. When you see an opening, run over and give Luna a boost. Luna, your job will be to stick the grenades wherever they'll do the most damage. Everyone give her your grenades."

There was a nod, and Luna found herself holding around twenty explosives.

"Everyone ready?" Alex asked, checking to make sure the mech's attention was still elsewhere.

Luna gave a hesitant nod.

"Go!"

Alex darted out from his cover, firing controlled bursts at the mech. He had swapped his ammunition from home for bullets laced with Ice Dust, leaving splats of frozen water across the mech's canopy. The machine stood still, trying to wipe the ice from its windshield. Alex saw Carbon's squad make their move.

"Not bad, kids! But you'll have to do better than-" _Boom!_ The mech was thrown forward as its right arm was blown off by the grenades. The machine fell with an ear-shattering crash. Team RWBY jumped on the opportunity, viciously slashing and blasting the downed mech, successfully extracting its operator from the cockpit. He was a tacky-looking man with bright orange hair, wearing a white suit and bowler cap. He took a draw off a cigar in his hand.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's been fun, but I'm afraid have work to do. Neo!" The man called. A young woman with multi-colored hair and eyes dropped out of nowhere, knocking back Ruby and her friends. She stood next to the orange-haired man, and the two of them seemed to stop. Yang rushed forward in order to stop them, throwing a punch at the girl, but was surprised when the two figures shattered like glass. The roar of a Bullhead's engines screeched overhead, and the transport flew off into the night, carrying with their target.

* * *

"What the hell were you all thinking?" Alex yelled. The teens flinched. The adults were arrayed before them.

"We were just-" Ruby began.

"No! You could have died! Other people could have died! People _did_ die!" Ruby looked like she was about to burst into tears, Yang and Weiss appeared indignant, and Blake seemed indifferent. Alex noticed Ruby. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Look. I know you girls want to help, but this isn't a game-" Blake suddenly lost her temper.

"We know this isn't a game, but no one will listen to what we have to say! What other choice do we have?"

Alex crossed his arms, "I'm listening."

Blake stopped and looked at him, "huh?"

"I said: 'I'm listening'. What's going on?"

The girls exchanged looks and huddled together. After they split apart, Ruby took a deep breath and broke into an explanation. She rapidly informed them about the string of robberies in Vale, and how team RWBY, along with a few of their friends, had tied the thefts to the White Fang. They had continued their investigation, finding that the Faunus had gotten their hands on classified military-grade hardware, courtesy of a Roman Torchwick, the orange-haired man they had fought before.

"Alright, I'll help," Alex said, causing Ruby's jaw to noticeably drop. "I can't speak for the others, but-"

"I'm in," Dimitri interjected.

"Sounds fun," Carbon added nonchalantly, followed by a rapid nod from Luna and an idle "hmph" sound from Firo. The other two members of Carbon's squad also nodded their agreement. One of them raised his hand.

"Um, Sir? How would you like us to proceed?"

Alex gave it a few moments of thought, "just keep your eyes open for now, we'll let you know if we need to make a move."

"Yes, sir. I'll-" the Atlesian corporal was cut off as a bullet pierced through his throat from behind, spattering Alex and Luna. The latter let out a shriek of shock.

"Everyone! Cover! Now!" Alex barked out urgently. The others followed the order without hesitation, even the teens. The other member of Carbon's squad, who Alex did not know, found himself lifted into the air. A black armored figure stepped out of the shadows beneath the highway, flanked by two large, black wolves. He stopped next to the floating soldier, and called out.

"I wasn't sure it was you at first, Greene. But, using tactics that reckless? I was sure after that." The black armored man looked to the suspended man, who clutched wildly at his throat. "It seems your friend here is running out of air. Let me fix that." He clenched his fist, and the soldier was crushed by an invisible force. Alex made a motion for all of them to remain silent behind the cover they had taken. The man continued to call for him. "Come out, Greene. You and I have some unfinished business..."

* * *

 **A/N: The Paladin has fallen, but an even bigger threat has arrived! Please leave a review if you have the time! Thanks very much! Also, thanks to Dimas15** **and Skaana** **for leaving the very first review** **s** **, I'm glad you like it, and I hope to continue to please.** **And, Skaana, that question will be answered very soon.**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 5/12/16.**


	8. Chapter 7

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Alex stood up, exiting cover and facing the man in black armor. His opponent stared him down silently.

"Deciding to face me directly?" Alex raised his rifle at him.

"This time, I'll make sure you stay dead, Vortex." Alex turned to his friends behind cover. "D, get them all out of here."

"Boss-" Dimitri began to argue.

"Now, Sergeant Averin! That's an order!"

The Russian grit his teeth, then grudgingly nodded. He led the others away from the impending fight. Ruby threw a frightened look back at Alex as they ran.

"Are you sure that's the wisest course of action, Greene? You know you can't beat me in single combat." Vortex snarled. He drew a sword covered in old rust from his waist. "But, if you're so eager to die, I'd be happy to oblige!"

"Are we going to fight, or are you just going to keep chattering?"

Alex couldn't see his face, but he felt like Vortex had a wide grin on. The man in black signaled his wolves to stay put.

"Quite right, Greene, let us begin! Try not to die too quickly!"

* * *

Ruby and the others had gotten a short distance away. She looked back again, and was shocked by what she saw. The man in armor, Vortex, flashed forward in the blink of an eye, and yet Alex was able to block the man's strike with his rifle.

Vortex continued his assault pushing Alex back with every successive blow. The blond soldier was thrown with an errant flick of the armored man's hand. Ruby took a deep breath.

"Team RWBY! We're going to help Mr. Alex! Let's go!" Ruby activated her semblance, rushing back towards the fight in a flurry of rose petals. Dimitri spun around as the four girls ran off. He cracked a small smile.

"They certainly are good kids," the Russian muttered to himself. With a deep breath, he took off after them. The three Atlesian soldiers shared a quick glance, nodded to each other and followed.

* * *

Alex was getting tired of being thrown around. Every time he managed to get Vortex in his rifle's sights, the armored man would knock him around with a blast of wind.

"Come on, Greene. Don't tell me you're getting tired already." Alex pushed himself onto his feet. "I thought you were stronger than-" Vortex's arm blurred, knocking away several incoming projectiles. "So, they've returned." Alex looked behind him, his friends arrayed out at his back.

"I told all of you to run!"

Ruby planted her scythe into the ground, aiming the long rifle barrel at Vortex.

"Sorry, Mr. Alex! I'm overriding your order!" The little red-cloaked girl replied. She and Blake unloaded their weapons at the figure in dark armor. "Weiss! Yang! Now!" Yang rushed forward, only to be lifted into the air, where she hung helplessly.

"Now, really. What did you expect that to accomplish?" Vortex asked before smashing Yang into the ground with a wave of his hand. "There's one dow- WHAT?" He yelled in surprise as Yang pushed herself up.

"I'm tougher than I look, you bastard," Yang taunted, a small trickle of blood coming from her nose.

"Indeed you are. Now-" A white projectile impacted his shoulder. Ice spread across his armor. His head snapped to Weiss, who had her rapier angled at him. "You. What is this? What the hell did you just do to me?" The ice had spread to his neck and down to his elbow.

Alex took his chance, drawing his combat knife and pressing a button on his wrist. The knife sparked with electricity. He rushed and slashed at Vortex.

"Really, Greene? You should know by now, you're no swordsman!" Vortex swung his arm down, burying his sword in Alex's shoulder, hitting and chipping bone. He kicked the blonde soldier off his blade, leaving him bleeding on the cement. "Now wait there, I' have to deal with your-" Alex's hand closed around his ankle. "What do you think you're doing?" Vortex felt a combat knife embed itself in his leg. He was brought to his knees as electric current passed through his body.

"Everyone, get him now!" Alex yelled.

RWBY and the others emptied what remained of their ammo and dust at Vortex, obscuring him in flame and dust.

"Did we get him?" Ruby asked. The dust cleared, leaving only Alex laying on his stomach on the ground, his armor was severely damaged, and he had blood seeping from at least a dozen jagged lacerations. Vortex stood atop one of the elevated walkways above the street, his armor scorched and battered, but he was very much alive. His helmet was cracked open, revealing a single dark green eye.

"You get off easy this time, Greene!" He turned away and gave a whistle to call his wolves to him. "Next time, there will be no interruptions!" He walked out of sight.

Dimitri was at Alex's side in a split second.

"Boss! Are you alright?" No response, the blond man remained still. "Quick! Someone call for help!"

* * *

The group had been retrieved by a medical Bullhead in a matter of minutes. Alex's wounds had been bandaged, but their depth made it so the bleeding hadn't stopped. The Bullhead was also loaded with several White Fang members with bleeding wounds. A medic and nurse stood over the Faunus.

"I can't explain it! Their Auras are almost completely full, why aren't they healing?" the nurse questioned frantically.

Dimitri froze, and idea occurring to him.

"Excuse me, what bullets were they hit with?"

The medic turned to him.

"These things." He held up a jar with several bullets in them. "Never seen anything like them, and even when pulled out, the wounds don't heal." Dimitri noted the bullets' silvery color, pulling on of his own unfired bullets from his pocket. It was the exact same color.

"I think it may have been us."

Luna sat at Alex's side along with Ruby and Carbon. He hadn't moved at all since he had fallen. The only thing signaling his survival was his light breathing, almost unnoticeable. Luna reached out and grabbed his hand. Alex had been kind to her, not yelled at her for being scared or unprepared. He had trusted her to help even after he had found her curled up behind a car. She wanted to return his kindness.

She took a deep breath, making up her mind. She'd use her semblance. She heard the blonde member of team RWBY begin to question Dimitri as to why Alex wasn't healing. Luna tightened her grip on Alex's hand, letting her Aura flow between them. She felt her consciousness fade.

Luna found herself standing in front of a home. A two-story dwelling unlike any house she had seen in Vale. The house and its neighbors were a good distance apart, instead of the tight alleyways that Luna had seen growing up in the kingdoms, but they clearly weren't farms either.

"Boys! We're going!"

Luna spotted a blonde woman and man standing in the doorway of the house, wearing green uniforms and waving to two blond children. One of them was many years younger than what he looked like now, but his face was easily recognizable.

 _Alex._

* * *

"What's she doing?" Ruby asked Carbon. Watching Luna's aura glow a bright gold, encompassing both her and Alex. The latter's wounds finally began to stop bleeding.

"Luna's using her semblance. She can 'connect' with others, sharing her aura with them. She's using it to heal Alex, but in the process, she's sharing his thoughts," Carbon explained.

"I wonder what she's seeing..."

* * *

Luna had seen the same general scene play out several more times, the two boys growing older each time their parents left. Then, one day, two men in black came up to the door. Alex, now a teenager, answered their knocks. The men handed him a letter, and Luna was able to hear them say something.

"We're sorry for your loss. They were true heroes." The two turned and left, leaving Alex and his brother to cry alone. Luna idly felt her hands clench into fists.

The scene began to shift rapidly. Luna was only able to pick out pieces.

Alex joining the military.

His time in boot camp, being yelled at by a rough-looking man bellowing loudly about math analogies of all things.

Then the screaming started. Luna covered her ears, only being able to watch as Alex's memories of dark creatures played in front of her. She saw waves of the shadowy beasts tear through war machines, walls, and soldiers.

It was the house again, but it was no longer beautiful and painted, now it was a smoldering ruin. Alex ran frantically about, nothing like the calm man she had met.

He was calling out to the silence, "Mikey! Mikey, where are you?"

More rapid shifts. Blood, more screams, ruins everywhere.

The scenes slowed again. She stood in a metal office. An older man with dark skin and cropped gray hair spoke to Alex, handing him a device that looked similar to a scroll.

"Congratulations, Captain. Welcome to the STRD."

"I'm going to have to go collect the members of my squad?"

"Unfortunately, yes. They're all on existing deployments, so you're going to have to pick them up one at a time." The office faded, Luna watched Alex's first meetings with his squad, their names coming into her head.

Alex and another man running through a snowy street, chasing down enemies side-by-side. _Dimitri._

An ornery sniper who grudgingly offering her hand to shake. _Marcia._

A compassionate medic that looked as if she hadn't slept in days. _Aya._

A grumpy engineer with a chip on his shoulder. _Derrick._

Luna watched more memories play out as they became less of a squad and more of a family.

Dimitri being jolly and reassuring. Marcia smiling at all of them. Aya getting forced to go to sleep. Derrick acknowledging Alex's leadership for the first time.

Then it soured, becoming less like a memory and more like a waking nightmare. Black figures, Vortex and other terrifying, faceless entities rose up to surround Alex and his friends. A man flanked by wings of violet flames telling Alex and his squad to run. The shadows cut through the man and chased them.

He shot Derrick through the chest. Paralyzed Aya for life by throwing her through a cement wall. Luna felt fear all around her. The shadowy beasts closed in.

It suddenly lifted. Alex looked up at a figure dressed in white armor. The shadows retreated at the its very presence. He handed something to Alex, a small bundle.

"This will help you survive."

* * *

Luna found herself lying on the Bullhead floor. Ruby stood over her, and Carbon was putting a rolled-up blanket underneath her head.

"What happened?" Luna asked.

"You exhausted your Aura and you collapsed," Carbon explained calmly, handing her a water bottle.

"How is he?"

"Better. You stopped the bleeding."

Luna noticed the worried look on Ruby's face. "What's wrong?"

"What did you see?" The red girl asked. "You started crying while you were in his head."

Luna looked at the sleeping soldier.

"I think it's his story to tell..."

* * *

 **A/N: We get a look in Alex's head, getting a glimpse of his past. Stay tuned for more.**

 **A/N 2: Minor fixes have been made to grammar and format as of 5/12/16.**


	9. Chapter 8

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Alex stirred, he was still in pain, but that just meant he was still alive. He let his eyes adjust to the white ceiling and walls around him. He was in the Beacon infirmary, if he had to guess. He tried to move his arms, but something restricted his right hand. He looked down to find a mop of blue hair laying on top of his forearm.

"You know, she's been in here every day, Boss."

Alex turned his head to find Dimitri sitting on his other side in a chair.

"How long have I been out?" Alex's throat was bone-dry.

"About four days now."

"And Vortex?"

"Ran off the second he knew he was beat."

Alex sighed in response.

"So what now?"

Dimitri placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"For now, you're going to take it easy until your shoulder fully heals." The Russian paused. "I do have some good news though."

"What is it?"

"We've got new members on our security team."

"Who?"

"Well, one of them is currently occupying your arm."

Alex looked at Luna.

"Carbon and Firo as well," Dimitri continued. As if on cue, the two Sergeants stepped into the infirmary. Firo still was in armor. Carbon wasn't, he was a sturdily built fellow, with coal colored eyes and hair and tanned skin.

"Feeling better, sir?" Carbon asked.

"Yeah," Alex coughed a bit. Dimitri handed him a glass of water, which he accepted readily. "Though if we're working together, you can just call me whatever you want."

"Think I'll adopt Dimitri's name for ya then, Boss. Just call me Carbon, sounds better than my first name..."

"Alright, Carbon it is then. How about you, Firo?"

Carbon turned to the silent member, "Hey, Firo, you asked to join them too, you might as well come be involved in the conversation."

The armored member walked over and pressed a release on the side of their helmet. Alex had not expected to see long white hair come flowing out. He had assumed Firo was a thinly-built man, but as it turned out, the bulky armor had hidden the snow-haired, red-eyed girl... with a single rabbit ear poking out the top right of her head.

She spoke nervously, "p-please refer to me as Firo..." She glanced between the occupants of the room.

"Are you alright?" Dimitri asked.

"F-feels exposed without all my armor..." She quickly donned the helmet, and her breathing calmed.

"Yeah, so the three of us figured that we owed you for savin' everyone's bacon. So we quit our commissions with the Atlas military, and asked Ozpin to hire us. He was surprisingly willing, actually," Carbon explained.

"I see. It's good to have the three of you on board." A thought occurred to the blond soldier. "Wait, did Ozpin explain-" Alex felt Luna stir, sit up, and yawn. She tiredly joined the talking.

"He said something about you guys being from a different world, but that we should get the full story from you," She said groggily. "I know some of it from when I was sharing my aura with you, but only glimpses."

Alex nodded and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'll tell you the story over food, I'm starving."

* * *

Charles stood on the roof of the Schnee estate. Winter had been kind enough to lend him a room for the last several days, and give him access to the wealth of information-gathering sources at her family's disposal. However, Charles often found himself standing up here, gazing out at the city below.

The Schnees had bought up a large plot of land, and constructed not so much a home as a fort. It had a wide courtyard and walls surrounding the mansion in the center. Compared to the tightly packed corridors of the city, the Schnees were truly living on comfort.

One of the first things that had happened when Charles had arrived at the estate, was to be dragged to talk to Calder Schnee, Winter's father. Charles hadn't been sure what to expect, but judging by how Winter had automatically stood straighter, he could wager a guess.

Sure enough, Calder Schnee was a rather cold man. After interrogating Charles for over an hour, in which nothing was learned, he had finally excused himself to "deal with business". He hadn't even acknowledged that his daughter was in the room, though said daughter made an effort to apologize for her father's rude behavior. After that, Charles had not seen the head of the Schnee family.

"Mr. Blackwill?"

Charles looked down, to find Winter staring up at him.

"How did you get up there?"

He pointed to his back, "wings, remember?"

"Oh, yes, that's right." She suddenly looked nervous at the mention of the burning apparitions. "I'll... stand a short way off to let you down." She quickly walked around twenty feet further from the house, her shoes tapping on the pavement.

 _Guess she's someone who's more sensitive to my ability._ Charles shrugged to himself, activating the wings and letting them carry him softly four stories down to the ground. He dismissed the flaming appendages, and walked to where Winter stood.

"You had something to ask, Winter?" Her face remained composed, but Charles spotted a happy glint in her eyes. She spent so much time as "Miss Schnee" or "my eldest daughter", Charles figured she could use someone calling her by her name for once.

"Actually, I wanted to show you something." Winter took a scroll out from her pocket, holding it out to Charles. On screen was a headline reading: "Brave Atlesian Soldiers Foil Villainous White Fang" in great bold letters. He scrolled through the article. It was utter garbage as far as he was concerned, with propaganda littered all throughout, and the casualty numbers buried at the bottom. Then he saw what Winter had intended for him to see, a picture.

In the image was captured a picture of police and soldiers as they fought against the Faunus. The caption read: "Sergeant Daeg Carbon leads his men in assisting the police". However, one soldier stood out in the background. Instead of the police's navy blue, or the Atlesian white, there was a man in a dark-gray suit of armor that Charles recognized standing atop a nearby roof, firing down on the White Fang. It looked modified, but it was undeniably armor from the EDC.

"Where was this taken?" Charles asked excitedly.

"Vale, to the South." Winter's face dropped a little bit. "Does this mean you'll be leaving?"

"Unless you're planning a trip there anytime soon, yes." Of course, he could try carrying her, but she might object to that.

"Actually, my father and I intended to travel to see the Vytal festival in a few weeks." Again, her face betrayed no emotion, but her eyes sent a clear message.

 _Please stay here! You're the only one I can complain to!_ Well, how could Charles say "no" to that.

* * *

 **A/N: And done! Some more Charles and Winter for those who were wondering what they were up to. Papa Schnee is a /REDACTED/REDACTED/REDACTED/.**

 **A/** **N 2: Edited as of 5/13/16**


	10. Chapter 9

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Alex sat with the others in the staff lounge seated at a round table. He had changed into a olive-green t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo pants. He hadn't been able to find his armor in his room, which troubled him slightly.

He had spent the last hour recounting the events of the war on Earth, though he had left most of the bloodier details out. Luna looked at him oddly, probably noticing that he was omitting certain things, but she seemed to decide not to press him. Alex took a sip of coffee.

A knock at the lounge door broke the silence. Dimitri stood and opened the door, revealing a very disheveled looking Ruby with dark rings under her eyes. She had a bundle of metal and cloth in her arms. She gave a loud yawn.

"I fixed your armor, Mr. Alex..."

 _So that's where it went._

Ruby handed the bundle to Dimitri, before suddenly falling forward into the Russian. Alex jumped to his feet.

"Ruby?"

Dimitri waved him off, chuckling slightly.

 _What's he laughing at?_ Alex's worry lifted as a frighteningly loud snore erupted from the little girl.

"I'll put her back where she belongs," Dimitri lifted Ruby into his arms.

"I'll tag along," Alex said. "I need to stretch my legs." Dimitri nodded and the two exited the lounge together, leaving their coworkers alone in the room.

Luna turned towards the two remaining security guards.

"It certainly felt like he left a lot out of his story." She had been a tad disappointed Alex hadn't opened up to them. They were supposed work as a team, but neither Alex or Dimitri had gone into detail about their home, and they had said even less about Vortex, simply saying that he was "the most dangerous thing they ever fought". Carbon didn't seem to mind the lack of initial openness though.

"Some soldiers don't like remembering certain things, Luna. The Boss and Dimitri'll open up when they're good and ready."

Firo nodded in agreement, "some things are best left forgotten."

Luna just sighed.

* * *

Ruby suddenly jolted awake in Dimitri's arms, flailing about in a panic. She hadn't screamed, but her eyes were filled with fear. Dimitri had set her down and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and her breathing slowly became less frantic. Alex sat cross-legged on the ground beside her.

"Ruby, are you alright?"

She nodded.

"You sure?"

Another nod, less certain this time.

"What happened?" Tears began leaking from the corners of her eyes. Alex put his hand on her head, giving her a soft pat. "It's alright. Take it slow." Ruby nodded again, using her cloak to wipe up the tears running down her cheeks.

"I- I'm sorry. It's really nothing," She said.

"Ruby, you look like you haven't slept in days," Alex sighed

"I haven't really been able to," she admitted.

"When did this start?" Dimitri asked.

"When I was fixing Mr. Alex's armor, I- I found this part and didn't know what it was, so I plugged it in and-" She hiccuped. "And the- there were so many screams."

Alex realized what she had found. His mission recording from back on Earth. The video of those events would scar an adult for life, let alone a fifteen-year-old girl. Before he knew it, Alex was hugging Ruby with his good arm.

"It'll be alright, Ruby. Nothing in that recording is around to hurt you." Well, Vortex was, but Alex doubted she had watched that far into the video. He released Ruby from the hug and pulled a small object from a small pouch. A pair of metal tags. He held them out to her.

"What are these?" Ruby asked, taking them from his hand.

"Those belonged to one of my teammates. I always kept the tags from our fallen friends as a way to keep them with us. It made it feel like they were still watching our backs. These tags belonged to Aya Sato, the best medic Dimitri and I ever had the honor to work with. I want you to take them, so that Aya'll watch your back from now on." Ruby gave a small laugh, her mood brightening.

"You know I'm fifteen, right? I don't believe in ghosts anymore." She looked at the tags, Alex motioned for her to pocket them, which she did. "Thank you, Mr. Alex. Thanks for making me feel better." Alex and Dimitri stood, the latter helping her to her feet.

"Let's get you some sleep, shall we?"

* * *

Dimitri and Alex had delivered Ruby to her room, much to Yang's delight. Apparently Ruby had been absent from the dorm since she had taken Alex's armor. They had stepped outside, where Yang had thanked them again, along with Weiss and Blake, though the latter kept staring at her feet. Dimitri noticed that the black-haired girl seemed to be in a similar state of unrest as her team's leader. He took her aside from Alex and her teammates.

"Are you feeling alright, Blake? You look unwell." The girl looked up.

"Oh, it's just-" She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "It's just that the White Fang are out there, but I can't seem to find any leads." Thankfully, Blake had been confiding her findings in the Russian while Alex had been out of commission.

"Perhaps you are too sleepy to find new leads? Tired eyes are dull like blunt swords." He realized that his old mentor's saying probably held no meaning for her.

"But if I-"

Dimitri held up a hand to silence her.

"You constantly worry about them attacking on a moments notice, yes? What good will you be if you collapse in the middle of a surprise assault?" Blake looked down again, letting Dimitri's words sink in. "Get some rest, Blake. Go have fun. Let the soldiers fight on the front lines, okay?" She reluctantly nodded, Dimitri reached to pat her on the head, but decided on her shoulder when he saw her flinch away. "Good. We'll get back to catching White Fang once you're good and rested."

* * *

Dimitri and Alex had bid team RWBY a good day, and then walked out to the campus plaza. They had found a bench in front of a large statue. Alex just stared at the sky, a fluffy cloud gently floating through his field of vision.

This tranquility was interrupted by a loud beep emitting from Dimitri's pocket. He took out his scroll, reading the message.

"It's from Ozpin. He wants us to meet him in the lounge."

Alex sighed and pushed himself off the bench.

"Did it say what for?"

Dimitri shook his head.

"He only said to bring your armor along."

* * *

Ozpin was waiting for them, along with what seemed like every teacher in the academy. As usual, the headmaster had a steaming mug of coffee in his hand.

"Afternoon, gentlemen, please take a seat." He motioned towards two empty chairs. Once they had been seated, Ozpin cleared his throat and continued. "I'm sure all present are familiar with the events that took place in Vale a few days ago. It seems that the White Fang have stolen technology from our friends in Atlas, including over three dozen prototypes for the Atlesian Paladin." Alex shot to his feet.

"You mean there are more of those things? Who let that happen?" He was practically shouting, which turned the heads of those in the room. Ozpin motioned for him to remain calm and sit.

"General Ironwood has assured me that he is conducting a full investigation into the matter." Ozpin pushed up his glasses. "However. The Paladins are not the greatest threat we currently face. The General and myself have called in many favors to keep news of this 'Vortex' from circulating. Mr. Greene, I would ask that you share what you know about this man. Perhaps the complete version of the footage Ms. Rose plugged into the workshop's computers?"

 _How the hell did he- just roll with it._

"I think some of that footage would be uncomfortable for even the instructors in the room, sir. If you could allow me some time to review and edit some of-"

"No, Mr. Greene. I think we need to see exactly what we might be up against." Ozpin shot a glare towards a man in a suit sitting next to Ironwood. Alex guessed there was an argument he wasn't privy to going on. Alex handed Dimitri his helmet and the two of them went to the front of the room. Dimitri plugged the head-piece into the screen that normally occupied the lounge's wall. The Russian turned towards the occupants of the room.

"If any of you need to leave during this, feel free." He pressed the "play" button.

* * *

 **A/N: Kinda on the fence with this chapter, in some ways it turned out well, but kinda "meh" in others.** **Also, thank you Rebmul for my third review,** **and thanks to Skaana for leaving another one!**

 **A/** **N 2: Edited as of** **6** **/1** **7** **/16**


	11. Chapter 10

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Alex stood outside the door of the lounge, leaning against the wall. He had asked Ozpin to call him back in once the recording had finished. He had lived through that hell already, what was the point in experiencing it a second time?

The door cracked open and Oobleck came stumbling out, his face perfectly matching the green of his hair. The teacher walked out to a balcony, likely for some fresh air. He took several deep breaths.

"How did you do it, Alex? How did you manage to survive all of that?"

"Because we had to. When you find yourself without any other options, you'll suddenly find ways to make it through anything."

"And what of your mind? How has it fared in the face of such-" Oobleck's stomach lurched, causing the man to stop. "Bloodshed."

"I can't say, honestly..." Alex shrugged. The was a long pause as the two of them now leaned on the balcony railing, seeing the small figures of students mill about the main plaza. "Hey, Doc? Who was the guy next to Ironwood? The one in the suit."

"That would be Mr. Argent, a representative from the Vale Council."

"Ozpin looked like he wanted to shoot him."

"If you heard him speak, you would too."

The door opened again, and Glynda poked her head out.

"Bartholomew. Mr. Greene. Can you come back in?" Even stone-faced Glynda looked slightly ill.

* * *

Alex stood in front of a room full of people. Ozpin had asked him to answer some questions that the occupants wanted answered.

"So, Mr...Greene, was it? How old are you and your teammate?" The council representative, Argent, asked.

"I don't see how that's relevant." One sentence in, and Alex could already feel the urge to punch the suited man.

"Answer for the record anyway."

"I am twenty-nine years old. Sergeant Averin is thirty-six."

Argent nodded, "How did someone as young as yourself find themselves in charge of a platoon?" It took a lot to frustrate Alex, but Argent was setting a new record.

"Excuse me, but I'm here to answer relevant questions about stopping Vortex or the White Fang. I am not here to be interrogated about my personal life, no matter how interesting it might be to you." Alex kept his voice level, but he was grinding his teeth together.

"Of course. I will be informing the council about this 'Vortex'. Though he is not a priority. He is only one man after all."

 _Even Dimitri looks like he wants to put a bullet in this guy now._ Alex noted.

"Now, if you would all excuse me." Argent rose, gave a short, mocking bow, and left.

* * *

Firo had spent her time wandering the halls of Beacon with Luna. She couldn't bring herself to strike up a conversation with the blue-haired girl, so they had walked throughout the academy in relative silence. It wasn't that she had anything against Luna specifically, but Firo still found it hard to open up to a human.

The two of them approached the staff lounge, just in time to see almost every teacher come shuffling out. All of their faces looked ill or uncomfortable. Once the crowd had cleared, the two women pushed through the door.

"Damn that bastard!" That was the last thing they had expected to hear, least of all from Dimitri, who slammed his fist down on a table. Luna glanced from side to side, taking in the remaining occupants of the lounge: Alex, Dimitri, Ozpin, Glynda, Oobleck, and the chubby Professor Port.

"Who does he think he is? 'Just one man'? That 'man' took almost the whole platoon to take down back home! Argent probably hasn't even had an injury worse than a damn papercut!" the Russian ranted angrily.

"D, stop."

"Why-" Dimitri spotted Firo and Luna. "Excuse me." He pushed past them without another word, closing the door behind him far harder than he needed to.

The women turned to Alex, who looked similarly distressed.

"What happened?" Luna asked worriedly, she really hoped she wouldn't set him off.

"D and I just got interrogated by a council representative." Alex explained tiredly.

Firo spoke up, "Why is Dimitri so angry?" As usual, her voice was soft and quiet. But there was something else, an odd edge to it.

 _Is she afraid? Of Dimitri?_

"He's upset that Argent didn't even seem remotely concerned about Vortex. We all got lucky when we fought him last time, because we caught him off-guard with Weiss' dust. We won't have that luxury next time."

"On top of that, I assume both Mr. Greene and Averin are upset with Mr. Argent's lack of concern with the lives lost in the recording, as well as the potential lives we will lose because of this armored individual." Ozpin interjected into the conversation, seemingly appearing at their side in an instant. He wasn't wrong though, so Alex nodded.

* * *

Dimitri stormed off to the training room and set up a punching bag, which he proceeded to mercilessly batter for the next hour. He kept visualizing Argent's smug face where his fist hit. It had been a long time since he had been this angry, a very long time. One of his punches landed oddly, causing his wrist to emit a loud cracking noise. He shook the pain out his hand with a wince, entering into his fighting stance again.

"You'll break something." A very soft voice said. Dimitri looked over towards the source, apparently Firo had decided to follow him.

"I won't. The equipment isn't that fragile." He adopted his stance, only for Firo to cross between him and the punching bag.

"...Wasn't talking about the bag..." She muttered. "C-can I speak to you?"

"Are you not talking to me right now?"

"...This isn't you..."

"Firo, you've known me for less than a week."

"I-I know. But, that's enough time for me to tell. After what happened in Vale..." Dimitri flinched as she brought up the events during the White Fang attack. What had happened with her squad...

Dimitri had acted on purely on what he thought was the right course of action. He had pushed Firo out of the way of incoming fire, and in the process, knocked off her helmet, revealing her Faunus heritage. Her squad hadn't known.

The four other members of her team had turned on her immediately, calling her a freak and a liar, even accusing her of working with the White Fang, all while Firo was undergoing a panic attack from not having her helmet. In mere seconds, her team had disgusted him. Then, the Paladin had shown up, firing its cannon indiscriminately. Dimitri had protected Firo with his body, since he had assumed his armor's shields could take the hits. Thankfully he had been correct.

Her ex-teammates hadn't been so lucky. In the few moments he had to react, Dimitri had chosen Firo's life over all of theirs'. And no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he felt like he'd happily do it again.

"Y-you're a good person." Firo said firmly. "You help people. You're a hero."

"I'm many things, Firo. A hero definitely is not one of them." This was a very different Dimitri. Gone was the cheeky grin, the idle jokes, and the bright eyes. All replaced with a man that looked... tired. "A hero saves people, Firo. A soldier saves whoever's left. I'm sorry but-" He moved to take down the punching bag, when a small force impacted him. Firo had placed both her hands on his sternum, and she was shaking violently, as if she expected him to hit her.

"W-was saving me an accident?" That hadn't been the question he thought she'd ask.

"No. No, of course not."

"See? That makes you somebody's hero. I-I'm sure there are plenty of people on your world that feel that way too. People who were saved by Dimitri Averin..." The Russian sighed.

"Let me put the bag away, then we can talk some more." Some of his glumness seemed to have faded.

* * *

The two of them had moved to the courtyard. The sun had set, and curfew made sure the field was clear of students that might listen in.

"W-why do you hide your pain?" Firo asked, once they were sure they were alone.

"I could ask you the same thing..." They stood there for a moment.

"I-" Firo breathed, trying to get her panic under control. "I will tell you my story if you tell me your's."

"Fair enough." Dimitri began. "I grew up in a country called 'Russia'. It is one of the biggest countries from our home. When the war began, my home was one of the first to be attacked. My first commanding officer was a man named 'Vellic'. He taught me many things, the chiefest of which was to be happy whenever time permitted. It was one of many lessons of his I took to heart, and it was easy when I had friends beside me who did the same. Made the battles easier on our souls."

"W-Was Vellic your father? He certainly sounds like it."

"Nyet- I mean 'no'." Dimitri caught the confused slight tilt of Firo's head. "I wish he had been, though. He treated all his troops like his own sons and daughters." His smile returned as he remembered better days. The Russian stayed silent for several long moments. "And you?"

"Th-there are slums in Atlas where most of the Faunus live. The humans always looked down on us, s-so I mostly stayed indoors." She began shaking. Dimitri reached for her shoulder, but she flinched and stepped back from him. "A-after my mother died, my father started working as a miner. Then he didn't come home one day, and-" Dimitri saw tears flowing from underneath her helmet. "S-so I went outside, but I didn't know where to go. I-I got chased by a bunch of human children. They c-cornered me in an alley, one of them had a knife and he- he-"

Firo found herself pulled into a warm hug. A handkerchief was being used to dab her face. She didn't back away this time. Instead she did something she hadn't done in years, she returned the hug.

* * *

 **I realized that I never actually gave good descriptions of the characters, so I'll be including those right here. Because I'm an idiot.**

 **There will be no personality stuff in these, this is all appearances and skills.**

 **Alex Greene**

 **Alex is 5'11"** **and twenty-nine years old** **. He has** **short and unruly** **blond hair and blue eyes. His build can best be described as a "runner". Alex has more than a few scars riddling him: three bullet wounds on his right shoulder, a long slash cutting horizontally from his left bicep across his chest, and many small cuts from shrapnel on the back of his neck.**

 **Alex is a non-aura, meaning he has no force-field-like energy around him, and thus no abilities or semblance. However, Alex is no stranger to combat, having survived nine years of extensive combat during the war back on Earth. He is proficient with rifles, handguns, grenades, and a knife.**

 **Dimitri Averin**

 **Dimitri is a towering 6'8" and thirty-six years of age. He maintains a set of messy brown hair,** **full** **beard, and mustache and has dark green eyes. He has a large, bear-like build. Dimitri has an easily visible scar above his right eye, and another on his neck from a bullet graze. He also has almost twenty bullet wound scars scattered across his torso and legs.**

 **Dimitri is a non-aura, like Alex, but that doesn't slow him down. Dimitri's proficiency with light machine guns and launchers have been built up over** **fifteen years of combat experience.**

 **Luna Azure**

 **Luna stands at 5'6" and is twenty-seven years old. She has nicely-combed silvery-blue hair and cerulean eyes. Her hair tends to poke out of her helmet. Luna has a slight build, like that of an acrobat, and has no visible scars or blemishes.**

 **Luna has training to use rifles and handguns, but she is inexperienced in the field. Her semblance is "connection", which allows her to share her aura with people she is touching. This can be used to increase the rate of healing. However, use of her ability in combat is risky, as it connects her consciousness to that of the person she is currently holding.**

 **Daeg Carbon**

 **Carbon is 6'1" and forty-two years old. He has tanned skin, buzz-cut black hair, and equally dark eyes. His build is best described as "sturdy". Carbon has a single set of long scars across his left cheek, courtesy of an old encounter with an Ursa.**

 **Carbon is capable of using essentially any weapon type, but he rides the average curve in all of them. His semblance is "blacksmith", an ability which allows him to manipulate the structure and strength of metals up to the complexity of forged steel.**

 **Albiona Firo**

 **Firo is 5'8" (not counting her rabbit ear) and is twenty-eight years old. She has pure white hair which falls** **slightly past her shoulders, it is messy from being shoved into her helmet all the time. Her eyes are red. She has an extremely thin build, emphasizing speed over strength. Her most obvious scar is the stub of where her left rabbit ear was viciously severed.**

 **Firo is proficient with rifles, handguns, and sub-machine guns. Her semblance is "ghost", allowing her to become less visible and incorporeal for a short period of time. She can use her semblance on other people, but the duration decreases the more people she uses it on at once.** **She has around two years of combat experience.**

 **You'll get Charles later.**

* * *

 **A/N: Time for a feels trip! Hopefully I'm not moving too fast, pacing is** **the** **one thing I'm very concerned I might be doing incorrectly.**

 **Rebmul: Glad to see you keep checking in,** **but I apologize for not actually showing the footage. There is a method to my madness on that though, so I think it will be worth it.**

 **Dimas15: Charles and Winter will get some more attention** **VERY** **soon, don't worry.**

 **A/** **N 2: Edited as of** **6** **/** **21** **/16**


	12. Chapter 11

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 11

The next day, Alex woke up to a knock at his door. He was calmer than he had been the night before, but the frustration had yet to fully pass. He groaned, then yanked the door open, causing Ruby and Luna to jump

"Morning, Mr. Alex!"

"Don't you have classes, Ruby?"

"Nope, because my team took over preparations for the dance!"

"That's nice, but did you need something?"

"Have you seen Mr. Dimitri? I need to ask him something." Alex thought for a bit.

"I haven't seen him today, but he's probably in the staff lounge." Ruby gave an appreciative nod.

"Thanks, Mr. Alex! See you later!" the girl called as she walked away. Alex turned to Luna.

"Morning, Luna."

"How are you?"

"Better. What's up?"

"Mr. Ozpin had this huge crate arrive today. He and Carbon are waiting for us."

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

Luna led Alex to a quiet section of the academy. It always puzzled Alex how Beacon only had around eight-thousand students, but had enough room to accommodate over twice that much. Because of this, certain areas of the school were almost completely empty most of the time.

The two of them stopped in front of a room marked as "Testing Range 1". Luna knocked softly on the door. No response. Alex stepped forward and knocked, answered by a loud clatter.

"Yeah, yeah! Hold yer horses!" The door slid open, revealing Carbon and a large room full of boxes. "Good, you're both here. Watch your step, it's a mess." Carbon led them into the room, which was a twenty by twenty-foot cube with metal walls. A large steel crate had been placed on the left side of the room, with many smaller metal and cardboard boxes spilling out of it. Ozpin stood off to the side of the pile.

"Good morning, Mr. Greene, Miss Azure. I'm glad you could join us." Ozpin said, taking a sip of coffee from his cup. Alex looked over the boxes.

"What's all this?"

"An associate of mine in Vacuo part of a machine crashed in the desert, and she couldn't figure out where it came from. Normally, a find would become property of the government, but my friend saw fit to send what she could recover here to the academy." Ozpin gestured to the pile of boxes.

"So why'd you call me here?" Alex asked. Ozpin nudged a metal box over with his cane.

"Take a look, and I think you'll see." Luna watched Alex open the box's lid and freeze. He pulled out a bundle of cloth and metal.

"Is that-"

"A set of EDC armor..."

* * *

Dimitri and Firo sat alone in the staff lounge, eating. Firo had removed her helmet, in an attempt to become less dependent on needing her armor. Dimitri sat across from her at the table. Firo couldn't really explain it, but the Russian had an air around him that put people at ease.

A knock at the lounge door caused Firo to jump, knocking her helmet off the table and onto the ground. The door opened and Ruby's head poked through the door.

"Hey, Mr. Dimitri? Can I talk to yo-" She saw Firo standing perfectly still halfway through picking up her helmet. "Who're you?" Firo turned away from the girl, shakily trying to grip her helmet.

"Oh, you don't have to cover your face! I'm really sorry if I startled you!" Ruby panicked, waving her arms about. Dimitri placed a hand on Firo's shoulder.

"Come in, Ruby." He chuckled. Ruby stepped into the lounge, softly closing the door behind her. He turned Firo around, so that she was facing the teen. "This is Firo, Ruby. Firo, this is Ruby Rose, one of the students at the academy."

"You're Firo?" Ruby asked. Firo looked away, no doubt that Ruby would notice her ears next. "You're really pretty!" Firo's face suddenly matched Ruby's cloak.

* * *

"So your friend in Vacuo found a crashed cargo transport. Though I'm not sure how it got there." Alex had opened several more boxes, finding more armor and two crates of ammunition so far. He flipped the lid on another metal crate, filled with a half-dozen hardened polymer cases. "Have any of these been opened?"

"My associate assured me they did not." Ozpin replied. Carbon and Luna were rummaging through other boxes.

"Hey Boss, what's this?" Carbon held up a spherical metal part with a skull painted on it.

"Here let me see that box." Carbon returned the part to the box and pushed it over. Alex examined the contents. "This is a Talon drone. The EDC used them to support the front lines."

"So it's kind of like the Atlesian knights?" Luna asked, referring to the humanoid robots Ironwood had brought with him.

"Sort of. The Talons were designed to be killing machines, not enforcers like the Knights." Alex explained. He began assembling the drone. "See what else you guys can find while I put this guy together."

Luna pulled off the top of another box. Inside were a dozen rifles similar to Alex's. However, there was something different. They didn't seem to use bullets.

"Alex, what are these?" She held one up. Alex looked up from working on the drone. He stopped and walked over. Luna handed him the rifle.

"I didn't think they got these out of testing. These are plasma rifles." Carbon rushed over, grabbing one of the rifles.

"I didn't think you could make plasma weapons this small. Oh, and I found this." Carbon twirled a knife in his hand. "Can I keep it?"

"Sure, feel free." Carbon made a "yes!" noise. The older man pulsed his aura through the knife.

"Huh, it's not steel? My semblance doesn't affect it."

"What is your semblance, actually?"

"I can harden or soften simple metals, up to steel."

"Well, the bullets, armor, and weapons used back home are made from a titanium alloy. We call it Polymetal, because how of how useful it was."

"Huh," Carbon looked over the knife, "That's pretty neat."

"Here, sheathe it in this." Luna tossed Carbon a holster, which he put on and stowed the weapon.

"Oh, drone's done by the way." The Talon stood six feet tall. It was a thin, skeletal machine with sharpened metal claws in place of its feet. "Let's keep him off for now, though." Alex held up two sets of armor. "You guys want to try these on?"

* * *

"What did you need, Ruby?" Dimitri asked the little girl. Firo had fainted from embarrassment, and Dimitri had laid her on the lounge's couch.

"It's about Blake. She's not sleeping again."

"You want me to talk to her?"

"Yes. Yang tried earlier, but she didn't really listen."

"Alright, I'll go look for her." He looked at Firo's unconscious form. "Here let me just put her helmet back on." Luna burst through the door, holding two bundles.

"Hi, Dimitri. Um, can I borrow Firo?"

"You'll have to wake her up." Luna dropped the bundles and shook Firo, who jumped up, causing their foreheads to smack together.

"Ugh...sorry...Luna..." Firo held a hand to her head, laying back onto the couch. Luna was on the floor.

"Your head's really hard...ow..." Luna squeaked out. "Alex sent me to get you...new armor..."

Dimitri and Ruby giggled at the scene.

"I'll go find Blake before these two kill me for laughing at them."

* * *

Alex turned from opening yet more boxes as the two women entered the testing range. The armor looked extremely baggy on them.

"These are kinda loose, Alex." Luna held up her arms, only the tips of her fingers poking out the sleeves. The Polymetal chestplate hung slackly around her more slender frame. Firo was in a similar situation.

"Don't worry about it, come here." Alex opened a panel on the back of the chest piece and pressed a button.

"What's going to- EEP!" The cloth and armor shifted, pulling itself tight against her frame, then slightly loosening. The suit now fit her perfectly, but Luna had turned slightly red. "Sorry."

"No problem. Now, Firo." The Faunus girl backed away. "I just need to-" Firo tried to increase the distance between them, tripping over the lengthened pant leg, and falling flat on her face. Alex calmly activated her armor, then offered her a hand. Firo backed away slightly, standing on her own. She held the EDC helmet in her hands.

"Can't wear this. It hurts my ear." She said, looking at her feet. Alex thought for a moment.

"Well, it won't cover your ears, but.." He fished a set of shooting glasses out of one of the boxes. "Here." Firo hesitantly took the glasses, putting them on. She jumped slightly as the accessory showed "Synchronized to Armor" in the corner of her vision.

"That's a good look for you, Firo." Luna said, giving her a smile. Firo's cheeks turned bright red.

"Th-thank you." Firo wore the glasses beneath her old Atlas helmet. Carbon walked out from behind the large crate, already wearing his armor. Alex put on his own helmet.

"Alright, let me run you through all this..."

* * *

Dimitri had searched for Blake in every place he could think of. Library? No. Cafeteria? No. Plaza? Dorm? Nope, nothing. Field?

He huffed to himself as he stood in the middle of the grass, with the sun setting on the horizon. Where could she- roof. He caught sight of a student sitting on top of the dorms.

 _Now, how to get up there..._

Blake leaned against the roof tiles, her bow in her right hand. Why couldn't anyone see how important stopping the White Fang was? Grades? Fun? Now was not the time for-

A hand shot up over the edge of the roof. Dimitri pulled himself onto the roof. Blake prepared to flee. Dimitri panted.

"Please don't run, you have no idea how much work it was to get up here." Blake stopped. "So, Ruby says you're not sleeping again?"

"I-" Blake suddenly realized her ears were exposed. "You're not going to ask?"

"I'm asking why you aren't sleeping?" _Does he not notice?_

"I mean my- my ears."

"So?"

"You don't care that I'm a Faunus? Or that I hid it?"

"Why would it matter? You're still a person. Plus, I already had a similar conversation with someone else." _He really doesn't care..._ "Now, why are you destroying yourself by depriving your body of sleep? Again?"

"The White Fang are planning something, they could show up any day now, but everyone just wants to study and plan parties!" Blake let her frustrations boil over. "Do you know what it feels like to be the only one who seems to be worried?"

"You used to be one of them, didn't you?" Blake froze.

"How-I-" Blake stuttered.

"The way you talk about the White Fang. You're not out to stop them for revenge or justice. You sound like you want to be redeemed." Blake gaped at him, shocked at his insight. "Back home, there were a handful of people who betrayed our enemies. They acted a lot like you. They would work themselves to the bone, forgoing eating or sleeping. Many of them died when it became too much for them."

"Are you telling me not to even try?"

"No, of course not. I believe you can and will be able to defeat the White Fang, but if you work yourself too hard, you won't make it to the end. You want to be make up for your mistakes, not be a martyr." He stopped to let Blake absorb all of that.

"I'm not even sure what I'm doing anymore." She sighed, putting her face in her hands.

"You're still young, you have time to figure all that out." Dimitri placed a hand on her shoulder. A smile tugged at Blake's lips.

"Thank you, Mr. Averin." She gave the Russian a fleeting hug.

"No problem at all. Go get some rest, then go have some fun." He gave her a pat on the back.

"Um, I just thought of something. How are you going to get down?"

"Oh. Whoops."

* * *

Winter lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her normally tightly wound hair was spread out beneath her. She sighed, bored and worn out after dealing with her father for the day.

 _I wonder if Mr. Blackwill is still up?_ She thought to herself. _Might as well check. I can't sleep._ She rose from her bed, quietly exiting her room. She walked down the stairs, to the third floor, and proceeded down the corridor. She knocked on the door of the guest room that Charles had been staying in. There was no answer.

"Ms. Schnee?" Winter turned to find a maid addressing her from the top of the stairs to the second floor. "Are you looking for Mr. Blackwill?"

"Yes, have you seen him?"

"I believe he said he was going for a wal-" The maid stopped and fell forward, a knife firmly planted in her back, and a masked man behind her.

* * *

Charles stood above the slowly disintegrating corpse of a Beowolf. He hadn't informed Winter of his late-night escapades into the woods just outside Atlas. He had to keep his skills sharp, and there was no point in stressing the young woman about his safety, even though the largest Grimm he had encountered had proven to be almost no threat.

 _I guess that's it for today..._ He unfurled his wings, taking off into the night sky. As he neared the Schnee estate, he noticed the property emitting a bright light. The mansion was burning.

* * *

Winter struggled against the grip of the White Fang member. Had she been holding her sword, the Faunus would be missing a limb, but she had been caught wearing a set of casual shirt and pants. The man dragged her out to the courtyard, roughly throwing her on the ground. Her father was nowhere to be seen, though Winter assumed he was in the panic room in the mansion's basement. It seemed to be only herself and her family's servants.

The White Fang that had captured her strut in front of his fellow Faunus.

"Now, Brothers! Let us declare our strength! We will teach these humans that none of them are safe! THEY WILL FEAR US!" He turned to Winter and pressed a shotgun against her head. His finger tightened around the trigger. "Now die, Schne-"

Winter wasn't able to process exactly what happened next. A burning violet shape slammed into the ground to her left, spurting flames out in an explosion. Winter shielded herself with her arms, the Faunus that had her at gunpoint was thrown several feet into the air. The shotgun fired a blast as it was tossed from its holder's grasp, grazing Winter's right shoulder.

Winter saw a hooded figure wreathed in violet flames, wings ablaze. The figure wore a bone-white mask with a purple line running vertically across the right eye. Flames flowed from the vents on the mask's cheeks. It held a sword in one hand, a handgun in the other, both also jutting fire. Winter froze at the sight.

The figure strode past her. Towards the White Fang. They opened fire, but the figure seemed unaffected, the dust bullets igniting on the super-heated air surrounding it. It flashed forward, beheading a Faunus and blowing a hole through another one's chest with the deceptively small handgun. The Faunus with the shotgun, who had reclaimed his weapon, raised it at the flaming being.

"S-Stay back! Don't come any closer!" The figure stopped, turning to Winter. She backed away. She had never felt fear like this before. The figure waved his hand.

"It will be alright, Winter. Just sleep for now." Winter fell onto the grass, unconscious. A shotgun blast and more rifle fire exploded on the air around the figure. It turned to the White Fang. "What happened to all your talk of fear?" It taunted with a voice that sounded like many speaking at once. "Allow me to introduce us-" Another shotgun blast. "Never mind, then."

It flashed forward, cutting and shooting through the invading Faunus. Within minutes, only three White Fang remained, huddled together as the figure approached. The leader with the shotgun shakily reloaded as the monster calmly neared them. It had saved him for last.

It waved its hand, the other two Faunus' necks snapping by some invisible force. The force pulled the shotgun from the leader's hands. The weapon moved to press against the side of his head, floating in midair.

"N-no- Please-" The figure leaned in so that the masks was mere inches from each other.

"Remember my name when you get to hell. I am Charles Blackwill, I am Terror, the bloodline of Fear." the figure clenched its fist.

* * *

 **C** **harles Blackwill**

 **Charles is 5'11" and is forty-eight years of age. He has short and uncombed dark-brown hair and goatee, which are starting to gray. He has stormy blue-gray eyes. Charles has a slightly muscular build, and has two prominent scars: one on the left of his chin and what looks like a stab wound near his heart.**

 **Charles is an Aura, someone with abilities from Earth. He is a Fire Aura, with a secondary ability of Psychokinesis. On top of this, Charles is the inheritor of Terror, the bloodline of Fear. Charles wields a short sword and a handgun which he channels his own energy through to fire. He is frightening in combat, having spent almost thirty years fighting various opponents.**

* * *

 **A/N: Things are getting "Terror-fying"...I'll see myself out.** **I should clarify that Winter is about twenty-five years old in this.**

 **Rebmul: Thanks for another review. It's good to hear I'm making people feel things, it means I'm doing something right.**


	13. Chapter 12

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Vortex stretched his shoulders as he awoke. The early morning sun was shining into his eyes. He had removed the armor from his right shoulder, it was still sore from the ice that had spread over his arm.

 _I can't be so careless._ Vortex observed his surroundings. Tall skyscrapers lay in ruins all around him. Apparently, people called this place "Mountain Glenn". Vortex had learned this from two masked individuals he had encountered. They had been quite helpful before they had died. Since then, he had run into several more of the mask-wearing people with animal ears. If nothing else, at least they were decent practice.

Vortex spied another set of "White Fang", as they called themselves, on the streets below. Their patrols had been getting larger and more frequent, likely in response to him picking off some of their number.

 _Hmm. I could use a morning warm-up._ Vortex jumped down from the building, slowing his descent with wind. The White Fang spun around at him with their rifles raised. _I'll leave one alive this time, find out if something interesting is happening._

* * *

Winter woke up on the grass in the courtyard. She was still in her casual clothes from the night before. Charles was sitting a short distance away. He noticed that she had woken up and turned to someone else.

"She's awake." Charles addressed someone outside of Winter's field of vision. He stood and stepped back from Winter, who felt two sets of arms grab hold of her and pull her to her feet, two maids.

"We need to get away from him, Miss Schnee!" one of them said, fear quite evident in her tone.

"What's going on?" She saw her father standing surrounded by guards. "Father, what's happening?"

"The Schnee family does not associate with monsters or freaks." Winter noticed guards on the walls of the estate, all aiming at Charles. "He should be glad we are allowing him to leave with his life."

Winter was stunned. Hadn't Mr. Blackwill saved all of them? What had he done to make every other person on the Schnee estate cower in fear? She could only watch as Charles left the estate, walking out of sight.

* * *

Vortex wiped the blood off his hands. He had decided to leave one alive after all. During the slaughter, he had knocked the mask off the young man in front of him. He was an average looking boy with a set of fox ears on his head.

The boy had readily explained Remnant and its intricacies: Faunus, Dust, Grimm, and this world's aura. Then the boy had told him about how the White Fang had found some sort of ship buried in the tunnels under the city.

"What is your name, boy?"

"E-Erwin Midas."

"Well, Erwin Midas. If you lead me to this ship and swear loyalty to me, I will allow you to live."

"Y-yes! Of course! I swear!"

"Good. You may call me "Lord Vortex" or "My lord", understand?"

"Y-yes, M-my lord!"

"Lead on, Erwin."

* * *

Winter walked around the scorched halls of the Schnee mansion. She had gathered her belongings from her room, which had thankfully not been damaged too badly, and changed into her usual attire. She found herself stopping in one of the guest rooms.

Winter sat on an ash-covered bed. She'd only known Charles for a short while, just under two weeks. And yet, the older man had been more like a father to the eldest daughter of the Schnee family in those two weeks than her real father had been her whole life.

* * *

Erwin had led Vortex through the tunnels to the ship. The White Fang had placed guards around it, protecting it while they attempted to force it open. Vortex had "persuaded" them to step aside. The two now stood in front of the heavy doors.

With a flick of his hand, Vortex blasted the doors apart, sending metal flying in all directions. Erwin dove for cover, waiting for the pieces to stop falling. Erwin saw the black-armored man step into the darkness of the ship. He shivered as he heard loud laughter erupt from within.

"Lord Vortex? D-did you find something good?"

Inside the ship, Vortex found himself surrounded by stasis pods containing humanoid figures wearing armor similar to his own. He had gotten lucky, this was a prison ship used to transport his brothers and sisters from the Order.

"Yes, Erwin. I found something very good, indeed." He pressed a button marked "release". The pods opened, dumping their occupants onto the ground. They slowly regained consciousness, picking themselves off the metal floor. They noticed the man who had released them.

"Lord Vortex! It is an honor to be saved by you!" One of the prisoners, a ginger-haired woman said, kneeling. She was quickly joined by the remaining soldiers.

"Rise, my friends. Now is not the time to stand on ceremony. We have work to do."

* * *

Charles had decided to walk through the streets of Atlas. Regardless of having the ability to fly, he had no idea how to get to Vale. So, he had to figure out some way to either pay for travel or get directions. He sighed to himself.

 _It was only a matter of time. This is our fate. To be protectors, we cease to be human._ A voice said in his head. It wasn't his own.

 _You shut up, Gramps. I don't have the patience for your crap right now._

 _Suit yourself._ The voice's presence withdrew from his mind. Charles rubbed his temples. How was he going to-

"Mr. Blackwill!" _What?_ Charles turned to find Winter jogging towards him, a hastily packed suitcase in her hand.

"What are you doing here, Winter?" The young woman stopped in front of him.

"Going to Vale with you, of course. Unless you were planning on stowing away on a Dustplane?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes." He admitted. "I thought you weren't going to Vale until the festival?"

"Father has decided that he will not be attending, so I decided to go earlier." Winter shrugged.

"You're going to follow me no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"You are correct." Charles sighed, giving in.

* * *

Winter sat next to Charles on a Dustplane, privately owned by her family. It was much more spacious than any civilian transport Charles had seen back home. Winter had informed him that the trip to Vale would be fairly slow, taking them eight days to hop between refueling points.

"Do you have children, Mr. Blackwill?" _Hmm?_ Charles had avoided giving her too much information on Earth. He seriously doubted she would believe that he came from a different world. He had asked her to let him know about anything odd, but that had been it. Other than that, their interactions had been mostly casual. He would listen to Winter's complaints about her family and offer some advice. This was the first time she had asked hm a personal question.

"Yes, two actually. A boy and a girl." Winter looked a little nervous.

"Are they like...you?" _Ah, that's what this is about._

"Jerloh, my son, has the ability. It only passes to the oldest."

"What is it exactly? It's not a semblance, is it?"

"No, it's something else." Winter began to look more unsure of herself.

"Why are you so nice to me, Mr. Blackwill?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because I didn't spend enough time with my own kids, so I felt bad watching your father willing ignore you." Charles shrugged.

"I see. Thank you for treating me like one of your own." Winter bowed her head slightly. "You're not from Remnant, are you?" _How on Earth did she-_

"What tipped you off?" Winter broke into a small smile.

"You mean besides the fact you have no idea were Vale or Atlas are?"

"Fair point. Guess I wasn't hiding it that well."

"Would you tell me about your world?" Charles let out a deep breath.

"Sure. Why not?"

* * *

" **Vortex"**

 **Vortex is a commander in the Order of Auras, an organization on Earth. He stands almost exactly six feet in height. No one is sure what he looks like, since he always seems to wear his black armor and no one knows his real name.**

 **Vortex is the inheritor of the Bloodline of the same name. His line are masters of the very air. Beyond his control of the wind, he is blindingly fast and possesses above-average strength. He wields a longsword that is rusted, chipped, and jagged, as well as a large-caliber handgun. Since it is unclear how old he is, nobody is sure how long he's been fighting.**

* * *

 **A/N:** **I feel like the pacing is going to be off in these next couple of chapters.** **Still, leave me a review and let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Rebmul: Maybe it's how I wrote it, but it was meant to imply that Firo's dad probably died while working in the mines.** **Also, there's a poll on my profile, please enter your vote there.**

 **Skaana: Yes, I'm using Winter's design from RTX. I've no idea whether her personality will match with canon or not, though. But, I assume that Miles and Kerry aren't just going to put in a copy of Weiss.**


	14. Chapter 13

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 13

Alex rubbed his eyes and sighed. The school was exceptionally active today, since it was the day of the dance that Ruby and her team had taken over. He had already broken up more "dramatic" confrontations between students than he could count, and it wasn't even noon. He was considering keeping score of which fights were two girls fighting over a boy, two boys fighting over a girl, or some variation of that.

Aside from the dance, the students' next favorite topic was the first-year team missions following shortly after. Luna tapped him on the shoulder, offering him a soda.

"How's your day been so far?" He asked her, accepting the cold drink.

"Horrible." She opened her own drink with a _snap._

"Have you seen the others?"

"Firo was out by the plaza. Haven't seen Dimitri. Carbon was just walking around last I saw."

"Alright. Good to know we're keeping busy." He paused, "Something wrong? You seem a bit...off."

"No. I just don't like dances." Luna sipped her drink and avoided eye contact.

"What's the story behind that?"

"No story, I just don't like them."

"No one ever took you?" Alex guessed. Luna's face turned bright red, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah. Nobody wanted to take me."

"Really? You seem like the kind of girl that would draw guys in hordes."

"When I was still going through the academies, I had these horrible braces and zits." She shivered. "No one wanted that hanging around." Her frown and blush both deepened the more she thought about it. Alex drained the last of his drink.

"Do you want to go?" Her head shot up.

"What?"

"I asked if you want to go." Alex repeated calmly, though he was having trouble keeping himself from laughing at Luna's look of utter confusion. "I know it's for the students, but there's nothing barring the adults from participating. So-"

"I- Yes! Thank you!" She nodded her head rapidly, causing her hair to bob up and down. "We'll both need something to wear, though."

"I'll find something ni-" Luna dragged him by his hand.

"Nope! We've got to get new clothes for this!" Alex just gave up and let her lead him.

* * *

Firo sighed to herself. No Dimitri to keep her company today. Ozpin had asked him to help coordinate the Atlas soldiers around campus. So, Firo had spent her day keeping the students passing through the plaza from killing each other.

"Hi, Miss Firo!" Ruby greeted, popping up from seemingly thin air.

"Hello, Miss Rose." Firo began looking for an exit, considering her last interaction with Ruby had been...embarrassing.

"Are you doing anything?" Yeah, she wasn't getting out of this. Firo shook her head slowly. "Okay. Can you help me carry these?" Ruby shoved a tangled mess of decorations into her arms.

"...I-"

"Thanks, Miss Firo! Follow me this way!"

* * *

The night came quickly, and excited students filled the rearranged cafeteria. Firo felt like she'd be picking craft glue and glitter out of her hair for weeks. She wasn't even sure how the stuff had gotten under her helmet!

Ruby had run off to talk with her friends, leaving Firo standing awkwardly next to the door. Alex and Luna had actually joined the students, showing up in rather nice clothing. Alex had been wearing a black suit and tie, and Luna had arrived wearing a midnight blue dress with gold trim. Once the path was clear, she dashed out of the building. Her heart calmed once she was outside, dealing with that many people at once was too stressful for her.

Firo walked back through the halls of Beacon, wishing she had some company.

* * *

Dimitri sat across from an Atlas soldier, engaged in an intense arm wrestling match. Ozpin and General Ironwood had asked him to coordinate the soldiers on campus. Why they hadn't asked Alex was beyond him, Ozpin had said something about him being "already spoken for".

Dimitri had been running the patrols from the large communications tower on campus. Of course, it was quiet aside from the occasional check-in, so Dimitri had decided to pass the time by competing with the other occupants of the communication room.

So far, no one had been able to best him, but he was locked in an epic struggle with Private Sol. Suddenly, his scroll beeped. He pulled it out with one hand, still keeping pace with Sol.

"Yes?"

"Sir! We've got trouble at the entrance! She's-" The call cut out. Dimitri released his grasp on Sol and unholstered his handgun.

"Everybody get ready, someone's attacking the tower." Dimitri began issuing commands to the soldiers in the room. The elevator showed that it was on its way up. They took up positions around the door, weapons raised. The elevator stopped at their floor. The doors slid open.

Inside was a bloody mess, the elevator was stained red. Two Atlas soldiers lay dead on the floor.

"Contact negative!" A soldier to Dimitri's right called out. As if on cue, a black and orange blur dropped from the roof of the elevator and rushed into the room. It cut down the Atlesians with ease. Dimitri only had a second to raise his offhand to block an incoming strike.

The blade shattered as it connected with his armor's shields, sending sharp fragments flying in all directions. _Glass?_ Dimitri was able to make out a female figure, striding towards him. He couldn't see her face. He squeezed off three shots from his handgun, but the woman simply deflected the dust rounds his weapon was currently loaded with.

She rushed forward, flipping over Dimitri and locking her arm around his neck. Dimitri felt himself get thrown before his head connected with a communication console, and his sight faded.

* * *

" -mitri! Mr. Dimitri!" The Russian blinked. Ruby sat over him, shaking him vigorously. "Oh good, you're alright!"

"What happened?" Another voice asked. Dimitri turned. General Ironwood stood in the room, observing the chaos. Dimitri pushed himself off the floor, rubbing his head to find a thin gash above his left temple.

"Not sure, General. A woman broke in here, trashed the whole place." Ironwood nodded.

"We need to speak to Ozpin."

* * *

Dimitri waited outside Ozpin's office while Ruby was being questioned. He had bandaged his head wound, but the thing still hurt like hell. He was really wishing he could heal like the people of Remnant.

"Dimitri?" He turned towards the voice to find Firo coming down the hall towards him. Her eye's traveled to the gauze wrapped around his forehead. "What happened?".

"There was an...incident. I'll be fine." Dimitri had gotten fairly good at reading Firo through her helmet, she wasn't convinced. "What brought you up here?"

"Ozpin." _Of course._ The office door swung open and Ruby stepped out, followed by the headmaster.

"Good night, Miss Rose." The small girl headed down the hall, looking over her shoulder and waving as she left. "Mr. Averin, Miss Firo, if you would both step in, please."

They followed Ozpin into the office, the headmaster quickly shutting the door behind them.

"Now, I have request for the both of you. Based on what Miss Rose told us, we believe the perpetrators of tonight's attack have a base in the South East. Miss Rose will undoubtedly attempt to follow this lead."

"And you plan to let her?" Dimitri asked in disbelief.

"Yes, but not alone. I would like you and Miss Firo to accompany her." The Russian and Rabbit Faunus shared a sideways glance at each other, and both nodded.

"Looks like we don't have much choice. We're in."

"Excellent. I will inform Mr. Greene of your whereabouts. Once Miss Rose and her team select a mission tomorrow, I will direct you to the proper transport." Ozpin guided them to the exit. "Both of you should rest while you can. I feel that this attack was only the beginning."

* * *

 **A/N:** **S** **hort chapter today.** **I really wanted** **to get the dance out of the way,** **since it** **always felt** **like** **that episode was essentially filler aside from the events in the communications tower.**

 **R** **ebmul: Yeah, Winter and Weiss's father is an ass. Karma'll come knocking on his door one day, mark my words.**

 **Skaana: Thanks for pointing that out! I will fix it post-haste.**


	15. Chapter 14

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Two White Fang stood outside of a train car deep underneath the streets of Mountain Glenn. One of them turned to the other.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder why- AH!" He ducked as a scroll came flying out the side of the train car.

"DAMN IT!" The Faunus exchanged glances.

"He's pissed." The door next to them burst open, revealing an incredibly irked Roman Torchwick. A nervous looking Faunus with goat horns followed him. Roman's every word was filled with thinly veiled rage.

"You mean to tell me that the scouts failed to report in AGAIN?!"

"W-Well, if you would let me expl-"

"NO! Do you know how BAD this is?" Roman pointed up towards the surface. "There are more and more Grimm up there with each passing day! And we are now understaffed, because our soldiers keep getting killed by Remnant knows what!"

"Um- Do you think they're connected?"

"Do I think they're- OF COURSE, YOU IMBECILE!" Roman threw his cigar at the Faunus, the item bouncing off their head. "Grimm don't 'show up'. They're drawn. And whatever's attracting them is the same thing that's killing our troops."

"O-Orders, then?"

"Cinder wants us to keep on track. Keep working on the trains, we may have to move up our schedule." The White Fang nodded before quickly retreating from Roman's wrath. None of them noticed the eyes watching them from above. On a metal support beam, nearly invisible to the naked eye, crouched two figures in black armor.

* * *

"L-Lord Vortex, I have a report." Erwin stuttered. Vortex smiled inside his helmet. While the Faunus boy was still rather jumpy, the prospect of being allied with beings such as Vortex seemed to slowly be winning him over.

"Report, Erwin."

"The two scouts you sent to the White Fang base have reported in. They seem to be working quickly on preparing a train in the tunnels."

"Do you know what they're planning?"

"I don't know the specifics, but the White Fang plan to create a breach in Vale's perimeter, and then allow the Grimm to swarm in."

"I see. Anything else to report?"

"T-The Lieutenant says that production of the Shades is proceeding smoothly. And the perimeters guards report Grimm flooding into the area."

"Those creatures are no doubt attracted by our ill intent, yes?"

"Yes, my Lord, they tend to swarm towards negative energy." Vortex nodded.

"Keep the scouts in position and reinforce our own defenses. We will wait for the opportune moment to strike."

* * *

"All first-year teams, please report to your designated landing platforms." The Beacon PA system blared. Ozpin had informed Dimitri and Firo of team RWBY's destination as soon as he had allowed them to take their mission. Now the two soldiers stood next to an impatient looking Dr. Oobleck, who tapped his foot fast enough to kick up a small dust cloud.

Firo tapped Dimitri's shoulder and pointed out into the crowd of students. The Russian could make out Ruby's red cloak amongst the sea of varying colors, but not much else. The girl in question approached with her teammates in tow. Upon seeing the three adults waiting at the transport, Ruby waved and ran over. She had a large backpack slung onto her. Dimitri could swear he saw it move.

"Hi, Mr. Dimitri! Hi, Miss Firo! What're you both doing here?"

"Ozpin wanted us to come along on your mission, provide some extra help." Dimitri explained. He turned to Ruby's friends. "Hello, Blake. Yang. Weiss." Blake nodded in his direction, Yang gave an eager wave, and Weiss stayed frosty as ever. Oobleck broke up the conversation.

"I hate to interrupt this happy interaction, but we are four minutes and forty-three seconds behind schedule!" He sped onto the transport. Dimitri turned to the girls.

"Let's get going before the Doctor leaves without us, yes?" The students and Firo hefted their supplies.

"FIVE MINUTES!" _What kind of watch is he even using?_

* * *

The Bullhead transport had dropped the group of seven off in a quiet section of Mountain Glenn. Dimitri felt a cold wave pass down his spine as they walked through the ruined city. It was just like how Earth had been during the war: skyscrapers crumbling under their own weight, burned out cars littering the roads, and worst of all, the skeletons of long-dead defenders and civilians, frozen in their last moments.

Dimitri felt Firo brush against him.

"You were staring off at nothing..." Firo said. Blake noticed the two lagging behind and slowed her pace.

"Are you alright, Mr. Averin?"

"Yes, Yes. This place just- It's...uncomfortable." He said, making sure to adopt his trademark grin. The two Faunus girls looked at him worriedly.

"Is it...like your home?" Blake asked. Dimitri nodded, his smile faltering for a second. Their attention was called to their companions. A black and white corgi had popped out of Ruby's backpack, and now Oobleck was spinning in place while holding the dog. The three observers reduced their distance to the rest of their group.

"Did we miss something?" Dimitri chuckled as he watched Oobleck rotate at an increasing speed. The corgi seemed indifferent.

"Mr. Dimitri, meet Zwei." Ruby rescued the dog from her teacher's building centrifugal force and held him out to Dimitri. Dimitri pet the dog, who wagged his stubby tail appreciatively.

"Hello, Zwei." Ruby set the corgi on the ground. "Will he be assisting us?"

"Yup. Dr. Oobleck says that he should be able to act as an Grimm early warn-"

 _"_ _Bark!"_ Zwei made a small sound and started growling. Oobleck motioned for all of them to duck into an alleyway. The three adults peeked around the corner while they kept the students in the alley.

"There. Two streets down." Oobleck noted. A large pack of Beowolves had rounded the corner, at least fifty by Dimitri's rough estimate. The Russian turned to Ruby and her team.

"Well, it wouldn't be fun if it were easy, right?"

* * *

They had set up camp for the night in an empty skyscraper. The group had attempted to avoid conflict with the Grimm where they could, but they had still ended up fighting half a dozen packs.

Dimitri set his gear on the ground with a thump. The girls had set to work on building a small fire. Firo was staring out onto the streets with a scoped rifle, keeping an eye out for approaching Grimm. Oobleck darted between different positions, mumbling to himself and taking notes.

Earlier in the day, Oobleck had been asking the girls questions, mostly about why they had decided to become Huntresses. The inquiry had put all of the students, except Ruby, in a somewhat somber mood.

"I've never seen so many..." Firo said as Dimitri neared her. He joined her by the window, where he could see what looked like thousands of Grimm moving around the streets. "What could be drawing them all here?"

"I'm not sure. I should probably let Boss and Ozpin know, though." Dimitri checked his scroll. No signal. Alright, try the helmet radio. Static. "Nothing's getting through."

"Perhaps someone has activated a signal jammer?" Oobleck darted over to the two of them. Dimitri turned to face him, catching a glance of team RWBY. They were attempting to appear to be cooking, but he could tell they were trying to listen in.

"You're all free to join the discussion." Dimitri called over to them. Weiss uttered a nearly unnoticeable "how-". The students relaxed a bit, knowing they were welcome to cut in.

"If it's a jammer, could we find it?" Yang asked. Dimitri shook his head.

"We lack the proper tools to go searching for it. But we know its probably short-range, since we still had a signal when we were dropped off."

"And aside from not having the correct equipment, there are Grimm everywhere outside." Blake added. The Russian nodded.

"We shouldn't take unnecessary risks. Especially with so many enemies in proximity."

The group sat down to eat, Dimitri downing the food quickly, while the others picked at theirs.

"Aren't you nervous, Mr. Averin?" Blake asked him.

"I'm used to this kind of thing. You learned to eat quickly back home, because an attack could happen at any time." Oobleck balanced his food on his leg.

"While we're here, Dimitri, why don't you tell us more about your home?"

"I don't know if-" He looked at Yang and Weiss.

"Ruby told us. Though I didn't believe her at first." Weiss said. "You can understand how someone from a different world is a difficult concept to accept." Dimitri shrugged.

"Well we had colonies on other planets, so it's not that out there for me." Ruby and Oobleck's eyes lit up with interest, and the others adopted varying looks of shock or confusion. Dimitri chuckled. This was really familiar. Simple comforts in the face of impending doom.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright back on track. I'm actually happy with this chapter, it flows better than most of the others.**

 **Rebmul: Thanks as always for the review!**


	16. Chapter 15

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 15

Ruby had volunteered to take the first watch. While the others got some much needed rest, she and Zwei kept an eye on the perimeter. Of course, until the corgi began whining.

"You need to go do your business?" Zwei yipped in response. Ruby sighed and quietly rose, sneaking with Zwei to the outside. She made sure to check for Grimm. It looked clear for the time being. Zwei found an old fire hydrant. "You really couldn't do this inside the building, huh?"

A sudden noise startled Ruby. Footsteps. She grabbed Zwei and ducked into a small alcove out of view. She peeked around the corner, witnessing a handful of White Fang nervously traveling through the streets. They kept glancing over their shoulders, like something would attack them on a moment's notice.

Ruby began an internal debate. She could follow the White Fang and gain valuable information, but she would be abandoning her post. After a few minutes, the promise of information won out, though at that point Ruby realized she'd been following the White Fang the whole time anyway.

The group of Faunus stopped at an entrance of what looked like a metro station. The opening was barricaded and manned by more White Fang. Ruby listened intently as Zwei panted by her side.

"Anything out there?" She heard the White Fang guards converse with the patrol she had followed.

"Nope. Nothing."

"That's kinda creepy, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Grimm millin' about in record numbers for days, then suddenly they all up and leave? That's weird, alright."

"We had scouts report them moving back towards Vale, so the plan should still work. But I'm wondering what made em' leave."

"Nothin' good, I can tell you that." The Faunus nodded to each other and went their separate ways. Ruby waited for the right moment to slip away back towards the others. As she stepped over a crack in the concrete, the road began to rumble. Before she had time to react, Ruby found herself falling into the tunnels underneath Mountain Glenn.

* * *

"My Lord." Erwin entered a room with a small bow.

"Ah, Erwin. Excellent. What do you have to report this time?" Vortex did not turn around, he was busy staring at a holographic display of something. Erwin couldn't see enough to figure out what the Aura was staring at.

"The perimeter guards report that the Grimm have vacated the local area. And unfortunately, communications remain down."

"Do the White Fang have a signal jammer set up somewhere?"

"Yes. In the tunnels." Erwin found himself suddenly without air. Vortex turned around, his face hidden behind a now-fixed helmet. From his posture, Erwin could tell he was furious.

"Remember that your life is a privilege, not a right, Erwin. Right now, I have made the air around you incredibly thin. Suffocation is a rather slow and painful way to die. Do not keep information that may be relevant from me ever again. When I ask you to give me everything on the White Fang, I expect everything, understood?" The Faunus nodded rapidly, his face beginning to turn blue.

Vortex waved his hand, and Erwin gasped and coughed for normal air.

"Give the scouts the location of the jammer and have it destroyed."

"Y-yes, Lord Vortex! Right away!" The boy ran from the room to fulfill his order, lest he incur more of the Aura's wrath.

* * *

The scouts had been given their destination and headed out immediately. They both had spent enough time in the Order to realize that the only happy Vortex was one who received results. Anything less could turn out...unpleasant.

The signal jammer wasn't even hidden that well. The device was guarded by four White Fang and had a black tarp tossed over it. Hardly invisible.

* * *

Dimitri had woken up for his watch. He went to relieve Ruby- where was Ruby? He searched around frantically, unable to located the girl or Zwei. He shook the rest of the group awake.

"Mm? What's going on?" Yang asked, stretching and yawning.

"We've got a problem. Ruby and Zwei are missing." They started running about the whole building, trying to find Ruby or a clue to where she had vanished to. Dimitri held up a hand for everyone to stop moving. "Do you all hear that?" Barking.

They had hurriedly packed their belongings and set out for the source of the noise. They found Zwei yapping at a large hole in the ground. Ruby's scythe lay abandoned at its edge.

"Of course. Mountain Glenn." Oobleck said aloud. He began a rant about the history of the city, and how tunnels stretched thoughout the underground. The Doctor also informed them of the numerous dangers beneath them, including Grimm and quite possibly White Fang.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go save my sister!" Yang cut off Oobleck's extended exposition. Dimitri saw small embers flicker around her.

"Yang is right. Every minute we waste up here is another minute we could be finding Ruby." Dimitri swapped the dust rounds he had loaded in his weapon for one of the bandoliers of Polymetal bullets he had been carrying. He racked his gun's firing pin, and flicked the safety to "off". "Firo and I will take the lead. Stay close, and be ready for anything." And with that, the group delved into the blackness of the tunnels below.

* * *

 **A/N: Not a bad chapter, though I apologize that it is a bit short.**

 **Rebmul: Thanks for the review. I have big plans in the future of this story, so look forward to that.**

 **Skaana: Dimitri isn't saying that it isn't a priority, but he is pointing out that they are in an unfavorable situation due to Grimm, White Fang, and the fact there are only seven of them. And there's no point in risking peoples' lives when you don't even know where your target is.**

 **Also thanks to Joeewarr and the guest for leaving two new reviews, I do read what you have to say, and will try to listen.**


	17. Chapter 16

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 16

Roman grit his teeth angrily. It was bad enough they were behind schedule, but now the White Fang had dragged a certain little girl to his attention.

"Look, you animals. We DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PLAY WITH CHILDREN!" Ruby glared at him. "Just...get rid of her before-" A Faunus came running down the hall.

"We've lost contact with the signal jammer!"

"-Before something like THAT happens. Pack up, gentlemen, we're leaving. Right now."

"Our orders were to-"

"To hell with the orders. We go now, or we might not be going at all." Roman pressed a button on his scroll, sending an alert out to all White Fang in proximity. Members immediately began flooding into the chamber and boarding the train.

"We've got multiple reports of enemies in the tunnels!"

"Then pick up the pace!" Roman snapped. Ruby struggled against the Faunus that had a grip on her. Another was in the process of tying her arms and legs with rope. They planned to just leave her here for the Grimm.

"RUBY!" A voice cried out. The two White Fang turned and were introduced to a pair of blazing fists. They were thrown and sprawled across the ground. Yang quickly tore Ruby's binds off and pulled her into a hug. "Don't scare me like that." The rest of the group ran up behind Ruby's sister, who had apparently rushed ahead of them.

"Yang- You're gonna hurt me worse than they did-" Yang released her.

"Sorry, Ruby." The train began to roll forward. "Looks like we have a ride to catch."

* * *

Dimitri took a deep breath. Their group had managed to board the train, but now they were stuck on top of it. While he and Firo kept the White Fang at bay, the others searched for a way into the train's interior.

"Uh, guys? What's this?" Ruby had opened a panel in the roof of the train. Oobleck stared down the hole.

"That. Is a bomb." Dimitri fired his machine gun in controlled bursts, accompanied by the sharp crack of Firo's rifle.

"Looks like we've got an opening. Let's move before this car explodes!" Dimitri rose and called out. They hopped onto the adjacent car. Ruby had an idea.

"Blake, cut the car loose." The Faunus girl nodded and dropped down to the joint connecting the two sections together. She raised her weapon, but the car detached of its own accord.

"It just separated on its own!" The car exploded, caving in a section of the tunnel. Black forms began pouring in from the surface. Grimm. On cue, more White Fang hopped on top of the train.

"This is getting ridiculous." Dimitri muttered, teaching the rebels the error of entering into his line of fire. Yang opened another panel.

"Um-" _You've got to kidding._

"Another bomb?" Blake asked as she pulled herself back onto the train's roof. Oobleck hopped ahead onto the next car, finding another panel.

"They all have bombs!" The teacher called out. Dimitri grit his teeth.

"I'm clearing a path! Cover me then follow!" The Russian ran forward, letting his shield absorb the impact of the dust rounds. _It should last-_ The shrill warning alerting him that his shields had collapsed sounded. - _not nearly long enough._ A dust round exploded into flame as it hit the metal shoulder of his armor directly, scorching it. More shots followed it, impacting him. He pulled the trigger on his weapon, spraying it wildly into the enemy. The firefight slowed and ceased.

Once she was sure they were clear, Firo ran over to Dimitri. The Russian lay flat on his stomach, hand loosely holding his weapon. She struggled to turn him over, searching for injuries. He was breathing, but he had several openly bleeding bullet wounds.

"Give me hand, would you?" He coughed out. Firo placed both her hands over his chest, keeping him on his back. She reached for a first aid kit to bandage Dimitri's wounds. He pushed her hands away. "This isn't the worst situation I've ever been in, just let me up." He sat up with a groan. It looked like he had successfully managed to push the group up to the passenger cars.

* * *

The group had dropped into the car. Oobleck and the girls would push ahead while Firo and Dimitri guarded the rear. Firo grabbed something from a pouch on Dimitri's back. A handful of bullets from one of his bandoliers. She loaded them into her rifle's magazine.

"No more heroics today, please." She said. Dimitri gave her a winning smile. He startled slightly as his scroll gave off a loud beep, followed by the other scrolls in the room. Dimitri pulled out the device, which had a message. "Connection Reestablished". He signaled for everyone to stop, promptly sending messages to Alex and Ozpin alerting them of the situation.

A White Fang member burst out of nowhere, grabbing hold of Dimitri while he was distracted. A short struggle ensued, which ended with a bullet in the Faunus. Dimitri's helmet had been pulled off and tossed from the train, getting crushed beneath the machine's wheels.

* * *

Alex and Ozpin had set to work immediately, telling Ironwood to prepare his troops and set up defenses. Dimitri and Oobleck had surmised that the White Fang planned to allow Grimm to flood into the city, so the headmaster had helped arrange an evacuation of Vale's citizens. Dozens of Bullheads and larger dustplanes carried civilians towards the safety of Beacon.

Alex's helmet emitted a loud warning, as his connection to Dimitri's helmet was lost. First getting shot, then losing his helmet. Alex would give him a lecture on personal safety later, when he wasn't worried for the Russian's well-being.

A loud crash echoed through the city, and a cloud of debris was flung high into the air. Reports of Grimm and White Fang began to flood into the impromptu command center Alex and Ozpin had set up at the evacuation site. Atlas soldiers nervously gulped while Vale police gripped their weapons tightly. The city had been breached.

* * *

Dimitri coughed, spitting out a glob of blood onto the ground. He searched for Firo, finding her crumpled on the ground, covered in dust and dirt. Her helmet lay on the ground next to her, showing her single rabbit ear hanging limp.

"Mr. Dimitri! Are you alright?" Team RWBY and Oobleck had extracted themselves from the rubble.

"I'm fine, but Firo's hurt!" Yang lifted the young woman with ease, carrying Firo over her shoulder. Their scrolls beeped again, a message from Ozpin, telling them to get to the marked evacuation zone as quickly as possible.

White Fang and Grimm began to dig their way through the rubble. Dimtri attempted to stand, only for pain to shoot up his right leg, causing him to fall once again.

"Mr. Averin? What's wrong?" Blake asked, her eyes frantically darting to the appearing enemies.

"I think my leg's broken." He gave a sigh, and checked his machine gun. Plenty of ammo, good. "Get out of here."

"What? We won't just leav-"

"Go on, Blake. Take Firo and get somewhere safe. I'm just gonna slow you down. I'll try to make my own way there." Yang placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, pulling her slightly. The Faunus girl stood still, planting her feet firmly on the ground. Oobleck sighed.

"I apologize for this, Miss Belladonna." The teacher surprisingly lifted Blake over his shoulder with little effort. Ruby picked Blake's weapon up off the ground, throwing her own worried glance back at Dimitri. Oobleck and Yang led the rest of them away, Dimitri still able to see Blake struggling against her teacher.

"Stay safe, moi tovarishchi." Dimitri prepared himself for the pain, slowly pushing himself to his feet, feeling the broken bones grind against each other as he moved. He turned towards the oncoming horde of bone-covered Grimm. One, an Alpha Beowolf, neared and eyed him. Dimitri pointed at the beast. "Come on then. Not a single one of you will harm my friends." It roared and charged.

* * *

 **A/N: There we go. Slightly longer chapter, slightly more progress. Things probably went in a way you didn't expect.**

 **Dimas15: Sorry, but that's a scenario that didn't really make sense when I was writing. Under different circumstances, it might've worked, but here I felt it just didn't.**

 **Rebmul: Glad you think so. Of course, as you saw in this chapter, even with the jammer gone, it still took a bit for everyone to figure out that they had connection again.**

 **As for communicating with people, I don't really know why most people don't do it. As long as you aren't getting ten or more reviews in a single day, I see no reason to not respond to them.**


	18. Chapter 17

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 17

Alex aimed down the sights of his rifle, firing controlled bursts at any Grimm or White Fang that wandered too close to the evacuation zone. Cement barricades had been set up to create a perimeter, Atlas soldiers and police crouched behind them. Carbon stood next to Alex, a pair of binoculars up to his eyes.

"They're still not here." Carbon reported through grit teeth. The situation seemed to be destroying the Atlesian's composure. "This is insane."

"You've never seen anything like this before, huh?" Alex said, calmly introducing three bullets to an Ursa that had tried to rush the landing pad.

"Yeah. I've been in my fair share of scrapes, but this is different."

"Battles, not wars, right?"

"Something like that." Luna joined the pair.

"Any sign of them yet?"

"Nothin'. Sorry, Kiddo." Carbon shook his head. Alex reloaded his weapon, giving Luna a quick nod before having to mow down a trio of White Fang.

"What's wrong, Luna?"

"It's just...Do you think they're alright?"

"They would be here already if they were..."

* * *

Firo blinked slowly. She felt her body bouncing up and down slightly, some one was carrying her. She let out a groan, rubbing a spot on the right side of her head. Her ear brushed against her hand. Where was her helmet? Panic began to well up inside her, suddenly intensifying upon another discovery. Where was Dimitri?!

"P-put me down!" She said frantically. Yang, who had been carrying her, slowed and set Firo on her feet. "What's happening?" She caught sight of Blake, slung over Oobleck's shoulder. The girl looked like she had cried recently. Once Firo was standing, the group continued to move.

"B-blake, where's Dimitri?" Blake raised her head to look at Firo. Her eye's said the very thing Firo dreaded.

"He-he stayed behind-"

"Blake he told us to-" Ruby began.

"We left him to DIE!" Blake suddenly shrieked. Yang jumped in.

"Don't yell at Ruby!" The arguing began to spread among the four students, with Blake beginning to scream at her teammates.

"P-please- don't-" Firo tried to start, but the girls ignored her.

"Ladies! Please silence yourselves and conduct yourselves in a manner befitting of Huntresses!" Oobleck shouted over the teens, they closed their mouths and glared at each other. The stress was threatening to break them.

* * *

Dimitri was surprised. He had survived far longer than he thought he would. Unlike a Shade back on Earth, he could shoot a Grimm in the head to kill it. He had no words to describe how much easier that made things. Of course, he had eventually run out of ammunition, and had to settle for melee combat.

The White Fang had ignored him, the Grimm had not. They had swarmed him constantly, but he had found an opening to hobble down the road towards the evacuation. His broken leg had definitely slowed him. He stumbled, catching himself on the side of a building.

Bodies and wrecks of vehicles and drones littered the roads. Buildings burned as White Fang set them ablaze. Screams echoed across the city as Grimm overwhelmed soldiers and civilians. Dimitri pushed himself off the building as a loud crash erupted behind him. A large scorpion Grimm, a Deathstalker, had burst through the walls of the store front to his rear, accompanied by a horde of its young.

"So this is it, huh?" Dimitri eyed the oncoming swarm, hefting his combat knife. "I'll be sure to take some of you with me." The young Deathstalkers flooded over Dimitri like a wave as he slashed at the creatures. He was buried under their mass. They tore at his armor with their claws and stingers, stabbing holes into the tough metal and Dimitri's skin.

A high pitched whine passed overhead. An engine. Dimitri thought of the evacuation. Of his team. Of Firo and Alex. _Huh. Firo came to mind first._ He wouldn't deny that the Faunus woman had been a good friend to him, going out of her way to watch his back. She was a lot like Alex in that way. He had grown quite fond of her, really. _If only I had more time..._ Dimitri closed his eyes as the sound of the engine filled his ears.

* * *

General Ironwood slammed his hands onto the table in front of him.

"Ozpin, we have to pull out now. No one else is coming."

"I refuse to leave until we have determined it is no longer possible to stay." The Beacon headmaster calmly sipped his coffee.

"We have White Fang on one side and Grimm on the other. Any students that were still in the city have been killed by now."

"I see no reason to believe that, _General_." Ozpin said the last word with a hint of venom. "If you wish to pull your troops back to the academy, you are welcome to. But my fellow staff and I will not be abandoning this landing pad until we can no longer hold it." The two men glared at each other.

"Very well. If you-" An Atlas soldier ran into the tent that was acting as their impromptu command center.

"General, we have six unidentified aircraft on sensors. Are they ours? Prototypes, maybe?" There was a hint of hope in the man's voice.

"No. No we didn't bring any prototypes with us aside from the second generation Knights." Ironwood said, referring to the white armored drones now assisting in defending the evacuation. "If they take hostile action, shoot them down."

"Yes, sir!" Ironwood turned back to Ozpin, only to find the headmaster gone.

* * *

Alex, Luna, and Carbon had not moved from their spot at the barricades. They kept a careful watch for any additional survivors approaching the area. So far, their hopes of seeing familiar faces had yet to be fulfilled.

"I see them!" Luna cried out. She pointed to a handful of figures running down the road. Alex and Carbon noticed what was behind them. Some very angry Beowolves. The group was spread apart from each other, and it looked like Oobleck was out of the fight due to carrying one of the girls. This left the remaining three members of team RWBY and Firo to fire at the incoming pack.

"Luna, cover! Carbon, with me, let's go!" Alex vaulted over the barricades, Carbon right behind him. Luna brought her rifle up to her shoulder and squeezed off single shots into the Beowolves' ranks.

"Been wanting to try this baby out!" Carbon raised his own weapon, one of the prototype plasma rifles they had recovered. He flipped the gun's switch to "automatic", and held the trigger down. The weapon fired out small balls of super-heated energy, ripping through the Grimm with lethal efficiency. Even if they didn't die immediately, the Grimm were set ablaze by the projectile. "I love this thing!"

The group retreated behind the barricade. Alex did a quick head count of the new arrivals. One, two, three, for, five, six. Six.

"Where's Dimitri?" Firo, Blake, and Ruby's eyes were full of guilt and sadness. Oobleck shook his head. Alex's fist clenched. Before they could stop him, he had grabbed an extra plasma rifle from a small crate of weapons they had brought from the academy, and hopped over the barricades.

"Boss! Where are you goin'?!" Carbon yelled after him. Alex was already out of earshot, or had decided not to respond. Carbon felt Luna rush by him, giving chase to their leader, a rifle of her own slung onto her back. Then Firo followed suit, her face devoid of nervousness and replaced with burning determination. Before following the other two, she stopped next to Carbon.

"We're going to save our friend." She said briefly before sprinting after Luna and Alex. Carbon watched the three of them gain distance. He hefted his plasma rifle.

"Well, hell. What kind of man would I be if I left my friends to die?" He smiled to himself and ran to catch up.

* * *

Dimitri felt warm. Not a burning sort of warm, but a comforting warmth. After he had closed his eyes, a bright light had flowed over him. His wounds ceased to hurt. He didn't even notice his broken leg anymore. If this was the afterlife, it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

Then the gunfire erupted and Dimitri's eyes shot open. The burning corpses of the Deathstalkers surrounded him, along with a mess of movement. The sound of the engines were deafening. Dimitri allowed his vision to refocus and clear.

Six aircraft floated in the air above, engaged in combat with several large raven-like Grimm called Nevermores. On the ground, soldiers battled it out with the remaining large Deathstalker, eventually bringing it down in a storm of bullets.

Dimitri saw a hand enter his field of vision, offering to help him to his feet. He took it-wait. As he rose, his leg felt no pain. His bone wasn't broken anymore. Something caught his eye. A figure in pure white armor, holding a hand to the forehead of a young civilian girl that had lay dying in the street. The girl's wounds closed noticeably in front Dimitri's eyes, she gave a cough and the figure offered her a bottle of water.

A hand tapped his shoulder.

"Y'know, Sarge. My Mum always said to thank people when they save your ass." Dimitri turned towards the familiar voice. The man it belonged to stood slightly shorter and slimmer than Alex and possessed unruly brown hair and stormy blue eyes. There was also an obnoxious grin plastered on his face. But Dimitri found himself looking at the symbols printed on the right on the man's chest.

 **LCPL Ryland Felstrand**

 **EDC-STRD-1I**

* * *

 **A/N: Ya didn't see that coming did ya?!** **Thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story so far, and even more to those who took the time to leave reviews. The poll for voting for your favorite character is still up on my profile, so go check that out if you haven't voted already.**

 **Dimas15: Sorry, no Winter and Charles in this one. They'll be back soon.**

 **Rebmul: Thanks for checking in, as always.**


	19. Chapter 18

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Dimitri sat in the largest of the transports. Four of the craft in this group were Dragonflies, the standard transport of the EDC. They were sturdy machines capable of carrying vehicles, cargo, or soldiers wherever they were needed. They weren't bad in a fight either, coming armed with missile pods, a nose-mounted thirty millimeter auto-cannon, and two heavy machine gun turrets that could be manned on the sides.

The other two craft, however, were more interesting. They had a small fighter, known as a "Wasp". The craft had many vidual similarities with twentieth century fighter jets, but came with two rotors mounted in its wings, allowing it to hover. Add in the two fifty-caliber machine guns and rocket pods, and you had the fastest interceptor the EDC had available.

Then there was the aircraft he was currently on: an Albatross. The heavy transports were never mass produced. Only around a thousand ever saw active service, but they were a testament to Earth's best engineers. The craft was not only a transport, but also acted as a mobile command center. It came armed with two side-mounted rotary guns, two front facing dual-barreled forty millimeter cannons, a single top-mounted anti-air gun, and, of course, more missiles.

Dimitri was broken out of his marveling by a tap on the shoulder. Ryland.

"Ya lost in thought there, Sarge?"

"Something like that." Ryland held out his scroll to him. It was in the process of trying to connect a call.

"I think there's someone ya might want to talk to." Dimitri gladly took the tablet.

"D? Where the hell are you?" Alex's voice rang out.

"I'm fine Boss. Where are you and the others right now?"

"We were coming to get you, but we got stopped four blocks North of the evacuation area. Too many Grimm."

"Can you make it back?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. Go back to the evac. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Got it. See you there." There was a rustling sound. "Firo wants to talk to you."

"Dimitri?" Firo's voice came over the scroll, worry and relief both evident in her tone.

"Hello, Firo." Dimitri replied through the scroll. "I'm sorry for scaring you and the others like that."

"I'm just glad you're alright..."

* * *

Glynda waved her riding crop, tossing a White Fang member through the air. She then had to duck behind cover as the Faunus fired at her and the other staff members. A series of shots rang out, and several White Fang found themselves suddenly missing kneecaps.

Glynda looked around to see team RWBY standing at the ready. All the students looking more than a little green at the sight of so much blood. Things weren't looking good. The White Fang were being held at bay by Glynda, RWBY, and a handful of Ironwood's men. Oobleck, Port, and Ozpin were holding off the Grimm.

The evacuation was moving slowly, due to the small size of the landing pad. Thousands of citizens were crowded behind the cement perimeter, yet to be loaded onto a transport. An Atlesian soldier pointed at the sky.

"Incoming contacts!" Glynda saw six aircraft stop and hover above the area, three of the craft, one huge one and two medium ones, broke off and headed toward the other side of the perimeter, where the Grimm were swarming. The other three floated over the side facing the White Fang.

The smallest craft's twin weapons angled down at the Faunus. A barrage of bullets began to shred their forces. Ruby looked like she was going to vomit. Her team's eyes were wide. When the dust cleared, the bodies of the White Fang remained, mulched by the high caliber projectiles.

The other two crafts' sides opened, revealing soldiers wearing olive green armor. They dropped down onto the ground from the air, all falling almost thirty meters before slowing their descents with jets. They began to systematically pick off the remaining White Fang.

* * *

Alex and the others arrived at the perimeter just as the Albatross and the two Dragonflies got into position. The large transport lowered itself so that it was only a few feet off the ground. Its doors opened, allowing Dimitri and its other occupants to disembark.

Firo rushed ahead of the others, throwing her arms around the Russian.

"D-don't scare me like that again!" The Russian smiled sheepishly and returned her embrace.

"Damn, Sarge. What is it with you and the Bossman attracting all the pretty ladies?" Firo blushed and moved so that Dimitri was between her and the new voice. Alex and Ozpin walked over. "Yo, Bossman, you miss me?"

"Ryland?"

"The one and only! That's not all though! I brought friends!" Three white armored figures stood behind him. Two men, one huge and muscular, the other rather thin, and a woman. "Well, Bossman, meet Guardian Team Theta!" One of the armored figures stepped forward, taking off their helmet to reveal long flowing blonde hair.

"A pleasure, Major Greene." The Guardian's voice was calm and lilting. "I am Arthur Raphael, leader of team Theta." Alex shook his hand, and Arthur offered his appendage to Ozpin.

"Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses." Arthur eyed the Grimm swarming along the road.

"It seems you could use a hand. We'll deal with those creatures. Captain-" He turned to another EDC soldier. "Could you take your men and reinforce the locals?" The man nodded and replied with a thick accent that Alex identified as Scottish.

"Aye, I'll get on it." he turned to Alex, "Ah, Major. Glad ta meetcha. Captain Earl Fyres. Boys call me 'Scorch'."

"Nice to meet you, Captain. What platoon were you with?"

"Twelfth Armored."

"Have any vehicles with you."

"Aye, 'round two dozen. We got tanks, LCVs, and a handful of Vanguards." Alex's eyebrows raised at the mention of the EDCs armored exosuits.

"Can you commit those to the other front? I'll accompany them."

"Aye, right away."

* * *

Yang rubbed Ruby's back as the younger sister hyperventilated. Weiss and Blake were nearby. Watching the new soldiers combat the White Fang. It was rather frightening. The soldiers in green and tan only numbered around twenty, and yet they were pushing back the White Fang that outnumbered them at least ten to one.

Blake sighed to herself, "I wish these men had gotten here earlier...Mr. Averin might still be alive if-"

"Don't write me off yet." A Russian voice said from behind her. Blake spun around and the other girls' heads shot up. "Hello, everyone." Blake looked like she was about to hug the Russian like Firo had, but an EDC sniper interrupted their conversation. Dimitri and Alex recognized her. "Anika?" The helmeted trooper nodded.

"Good to see you again, Sergeant. Corporal Anika Orion, reporting for duty." She saluted. "You as well, Major." She said, turning to Alex.

"You too, Anika." Alex replied, "What're we dealing with?"

"Yes, sir! The enemy is being routed as we speak, but their combat mechs are proving a bit tough for us without heavy weapons."

"Well, I brought something for that." The ground shook, causing team RWBY to look up. Four humanoid figures, towering over them at eighteen feet tall and covered in heavy armor, stood behind Alex. "Vanguards."

* * *

A White Fang member in a Paladin leaned back in his seat. The mech was proving near indestructible, even with the new soldiers that were standing in their way. He laughed to himself, there was- The Paladin's cockpit was turned into a hole-ridden hunk of twisted metal in a split second. The Vanguard that had flanked the mech allowed its triple barreled weapon to spin down.

* * *

Ozpin watched as the three "Guardians" stepped over the barricades to face the Grimm. Oobleck and Port stood beside him, the latter panting from exhaustion. The chubby teacher raised a thick eyebrow.

"Are they insane? Even a dozen experienced Huntsman would be hard pressed to fight that many Grimm."

"Mr. Greene seems to believe in them. I'm interested why." Ozpin replied.

Arthur stretched as they approached the Grimm, taking his metal staff off his belt and expanding it to its full length.

"Well, we have an audience today. Shall we get started?" He asked his two companions. The female member of their team drew dual pistols. The hulking male just crossed his arms, not drawing the large battleaxe slung across his back. "Alright then. Let's begin."

Arthur ran forward, right into the middle of the Grimm. He slammed his staff into the ground, creating a blinding flare of light. The nearest Grimm were disintegrated in an instant, the others stunned. The large male Guardian grabbed a stunned Beowolf by its masked head, tightening his grip. Back at the barricade, Oobleck dropped his thermos as he watched the Guardian crush the hardened bone with only his gloved hand. All the while, the female Guardian ducked and darted through the dark creatures, blowing holes through the beasts with her weapons.

Oobleck turned to Fyres, who was sitting and watching idly from the sidelines.

"Who are these Guardians exactly?"

"Well, we know them by their real names now, but back home, we called them 'Judge, Jury, and Executioner'." They looked to see the trio of white armored fighters cut down the last Grimm in the area within a few minutes.

"What has Remnant gotten itself into..."

* * *

 **A/N: The day is saved. Sorta. Maybe some pacing issues again. Need to work on that. Lots of new characters, but don't worry most of them remain on the sides after this.**

 **Rebmul: The trials and tribulations of Firo and Dimitri are far from over, my friend.**

 **Dimas15: Glad to hear it, hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **Arukune: Thanks for joining the steadily growing amount of reviews. I'm glad that the story has caught your interest.**

 **Skaana: Yeah, that was the problem I had with it in the show too. "Oh no the city is breached. Eh, no big deal, these school kids can handle it."**


	20. Chapter 19

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 19

Ruby wandered around the large workshop. Ozpin had allowed the EDC to store their vehicles and supplies in one of Beacon's empty workshops. At the moment though, only two of the transports they called "Dragonflies" were stored in the building, while the other four aircraft swept Vale for any remaining Grimm alongside the police and soldiers.

Ozpin had ordered the students back to the school aboard one of the Dragonflies. He didn't want to risk their lives any further. Ruby had decided to try and strike up conversation with some of the EDC personnel that had come back to the academy on the transport. They weren't nearly as friendly as Alex or Dimitri. Aside from returning any greeting she gave them, they just seemed to ignore her.

Ruby felt a tap on her shoulder, turning to find Weiss.

"Hey, Weiss."

"What are still doing here? Surely there's a better way to spend your time than standing around. Like...sleeping, maybe?"

"I couldn't rest even if I wanted to. After-" Ruby's face paled. Her breathing began to quicken.

"Ruby are you alright?" The younger girl shook her head, and ran for the door, running into Blake and Yang as they entered the building. All three girls fell to the ground.

"Ruby?" Blake asked, "What's-" Ruby jumped to her feet, rushing to the nearest garbage can. Blake heard her team leader make a horrible retching sound. Yang followed her sister, patting Ruby's back.

* * *

"Are you kidding me, Ryland?!" Alex shouted as his ears rang.

"Sorry 'bout that, Bossman." Ryland laughed. "Shoulda warned you."

"WHAT?" Alex yelled. Dimitri shook his head. They had been tasked with closing the breach in the city. Ryland had decided to test the strength of the tunnel with a grenade, but in traditional fashion, had declined to check what type of grenade it was and give proper warning before throwing it. It had been a flashbang.

Firo was now holding her head, her more sensitive hearing affected by the grenade. Alex was in a similar boat, since he had been up at the front with Ryland. Luckily, the others present were unaffected.

"How he hell did he get into the military?" Carbon asked. Dimitri turned to him.

"He might be a bit lacking in the common sense department, but he's a genius with machines and computers. Command just weighed the pros and cons."

"Ah, I see. He's no explosives expert though, is he?"

"No. No, he is not."

"Alright, ringing's gone." Alex said. "Now let's try a real grenade this time, shall we?" He hefted an explosive in his hand. "Fire in the hole!" The grenade was thrown into the gaping hole. A loud boom echoed from down the tunnel, but it remained wide open. "Well that's a problem."

"What do we do now?" Luna asked.

"We still need to figure out how to seal this breach. Explosives clearly aren't going to cut it, if we use too many, we might just collapse the street."

"Hey, Bossman, I've got an idea!"

"I'm hesitant to ask, Ryland."

"I'm pretty sure we could seal the hole with the train wreckage." Ryland explained.

"Go on..." Ryland pointed to Carbon.

"You said that Carbon could manipulate metals, right? If we move the train wreck into the tunnel, we can have him use the steel to seal the tunnel." Alex looked at the man in question.

"Could it work?" Carbon nodded.

"Yeah, I could squash all the simple metals into a solid plug."

"Let's get a move on then!" Ryland said, turning towards one of the Vanguards that had been accompanying them. "Yo, we need a hand with this."

* * *

While Yang continued to comfort Ruby, Blake spotted a familiar soldier, the sniper Dimitri and Alex had briefly spoken to, Anika Orion, if Blake recalled correctly. She appeared to be engrossed in examining something on her tactical pad while sitting on a storage crate. The Faunus girl walked over to her.

"Excuse me, Miss Orion?" The sniper's head shot up.

"Oh. You're one of those kids. Can I help you?" Blake didn't much care for being called a child, but she let it go.

"I was just wondering if I could speak to you." The soldier shrugged.

"Not like I'm busy at the moment. Take a seat." Blake sat on another crate across from her. "What'd you want to ask?"

"I was wondering if you'd tell me more about Mr. Averin and Mr. Greene. I've asked Mr. Averin about his past before, and he's told me some, but it always feels like he leaves a lot out."

"Do you not trust them?"

"No, I- I'd trust them with my life. They're both amazing and kind people. It's just-"

"You wish they were more open?" Blake nodded.

"Yes." Anika sighed.

"I can't really tell you much about their personal lives, but I guess I can tell you what I've heard. Anything specific you were looking for?"

"Both of them have tried to sacrifice themselves for us since they've been here. Is that just how they are?"

"Oh, so you're worried about them. I figured you were just being nosy." Anika chuckled nervously as Blake turned slightly red. "As long as I've known them, that's how they've been. They weren't anything like what I expected when I joined STRD."

"STRD?" Blake cocked her head.

"Special Tactical Response Division. The EDC's resident elite commandos." Anika noticed the student raise her eyebrow slightly.

"So you're all special forces?" Blake thought of her experiences with Alex and Dimitri. "They don't really seem like it."

"Yeah, that's what I said. I expected legends like them to be complete hardasses."

"...Legends?" Anika froze.

"They really haven't said anything about this?"

"No."

"Geez, if it were Ryland, he wouldn't have shut up about it." She paused. "The Sergeant and Major were part of the very first STRD squad ever made."

"So the STRD isn't old?"

"Nope, it only got put together around...four years ago. Major Greene got selected to lead four other of the best members of the EDC. I was only seventeen at the time, I remember seeing the reports about them on the news. Those five pretty much wrote the book on fighting the war back home."

"How was the war different?" Anika stopped again.

"You haven't noticed? How most of us don't have abilities?" Blake thought back, suddenly something stuck out in her mind. No matter how badly they had been hurt, they'd never healed. They'd never shown evidence of a semblance. They relied on armor with shields. If they didn't have the ability to do any of that, then-

"You don't have auras..." Blake's voice came out as barely a whisper. "And yet Mr. Averin and Greene put themselves in so much danger?" Anika nodded, making minor note that the rest of Blake's team was listening in. "What could have made them try to throw their lives away like that?

"Well..I've only heard the stories...but-" Anika took a deep breath. "In Sergeant Averin's case, I heard he was part of a platoon that was wiped out in a single battle. I think he feels guilty that he's the only one left. With Major Greene, I don't know much, just that he ran a lot of operations on the front lines." Anika continued to tell stories about the two.

Team RWBY let all this information sink in. Alex and Dimitri had been through hell and back. They'd had dozens of friends and allies die in their arms, unable to do anything to save them. And yet, they'd still done everything they could to protect them. Blake rose from her seat.

"Let's go."

* * *

Thanks to Carbon, the giant hole in Vale had been sealed by reforming the wreckage of the train. The group had called in their success, and a Dragonfly had picked them up. After only a few minutes of flight, they felt the craft bump against solid ground.

Alex and Dimitri stepped off the transport, noticing that team RWBY and Anika were waiting for them near the landing pad. Weiss was the first to speak up.

"So, how long were the two of you going to keep recklessly trying to kill yourselves?" Alex raised his eyebrows, spotting Anika waving sheepishly. Alex opened his mouth to speak, only for Weiss to hold up her hand to signal him to stop. "There's something Blake and Ruby want to say to you two." Blake closed the distance between her and Dimitri and gave him a hug, Ruby did the same with Alex.

"The two of you might not be from Remnant, but you've both become valuable friends. Please don't just get yourselves killed." Blake released the Russian, taking a step back with a calm smile on her face.

"We'll try not to." Dimitri said. Ryland decided it was time to ruin the mood.

"Where's my hug from a hot girl?" He said with a stupid smirk. All females present turned red.

"A-aren't you, you know, too old to be saying that?" Ruby asked.

"I'm only eighteen..." Ryland deadpanned. He felt his chin. "Holy crap! When did I grow a beard?! Anika! Razor! ASAP!" There was an awkward silence, then Ruby began to giggle. Before they knew it, all of them began laughing as Ryland bemoaned his growth of facial hair and how it made him look old.

A pitch-black raven-like form watched the laughing group. It spread its wings and flew into the air. It traveled far past the walls around Vale, flying into a skyscraper deep in Mountain Glenn. A black armored hand removed a recording device from the bird. The hand clenched and the bird dissipated into wispy shadows.

"Lord Vortex will not be pleased with these developments."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright. That's done. We've now hit the end of Volume 2! Hooray! From this point on, it will probably be very different from whatever Miles and Kerry have planned for Volume 3. Chapters might take a bit longer to write, though I hope to keep the same schedule I have. So if a chapter occasionally takes two or three days now, instead of one to come out, don't panic.**

* * *

 **To the awesome people who left reviews:**

 **Rebmul: I can say right now that Blake's feeling towards Dimitri aren't romantic. They'll eventually be elaborated on more.**

 **Dimas15: Well, you might've been disappointed that the action ended here for now. Sorry!**

 **Jacobtheatomicspartan: First, thanks for leaving a review! Second, no, I'd never even heard of Terms of Enlistment until now.**

 **Joeewarr: I'm glad you think so!**


	21. Chapter 20

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 20

Alex had been called to Ozpin's office. Upon entering, he found Arthur and Fyres already standing in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Mornin', Major." Fyres said as Alex closed the door behind him.

"Good Morning, Fyres. Arthur. Ozpin." The Guardian nodded. Alex turned to the headmaster, who took a quick sip from his mug.

"Mr. Greene, good morning. I was wondering whether you could help me with something."

"Of course."

"Excellent. I just need to know how many EDC personnel will be staying at the academy."

"Oh. That's it?"

"I only require a number for the paperwork." Ozpin chuckled. "Did you expect it to be something more dire?"

"Considering recent events?"

"A fair point. Anyway, can the three of you give me a quick head count of your forces? As well as what I should list as your roles on the paperwork." Fyres raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, yer hirin' us?" Ozpin nodded.

"For the sake of appearances, yes." Arthur's head bobbed understandingly.

"It does make sense."

"Well, I did a quick count earlier." Alex said. "There are exactly twelve STRD operators that came with Fyres. I guess you could list them as security like D and me." Ozpin nodded. Fyres was the next to speak up.

"I've got thirty of my lads an' lasses from the twelfth armored. We ain't security types though. Maybe list us as maintenance or engineering."

"That will work." Ozpin quickly scribbled the information down on a notepad. "Now we reach the issue of Mr. Raphael and his teammates." Arthur cocked his head.

"Issue, sir?"

"Mr. Greene once told me that Guardians were exceptionally young. How old are you, Mr. Raphael?" Arthur thought for a moment, then sighed.

"I turned eighteen a month before ending up here. My team, Nathan and Miko, are twenty and seventeen respectively." Ozpin looked to Alex questioningly.

"How old would they have been when they started fighting, Mr. Greene?"

"The first Guardians showed up right after STRD got off the ground. So, Arthur would have been...fourteen?" The Guardian in question nodded slowly. Ozpin took another swig of coffee.

"Mr. Raphael, I would like to offer your team temporary positions as students at Beacon. It will raise the least suspicion."

"I suppose. If there is no other option."

"There is an added benefit. None of the students have seen your teams' faces. This makes the three of you perfect for keeping an eye out."

"You suspect there is someone hiding amongst the students?"

"Yes. I am almost sure of it."

"If it is where we are needed, list my team as students." Alex raised signaled he had a question.

"Sir, aren't teams normally four members?"

"Indeed. I plan to remedy that. If you or Mr. Fyres would be willing to supply them with a young operative of your own." Alex thought for a moment.

"Anika Orion, one of our snipers, used to run infiltration and sabotage ops. She'd be a good fit for something like this, plus only team RWBY really knows who she is. She's also within the correct age range, at twenty-one."

"We'll have to list her as being late to start attending the academy." Ozpin said, nodding. "Mr Raphael, you team and Miss Orion will have to leave most of your gear behind, namely your armors. Weapons should be fine. Though, based on your skill in combat, I would ask the four of you to restrain yourselves against other students."

"That won't be a problem...Headmaster Ozpin." Arthur bowed.

* * *

"We will be landing in Vale in a few minutes, Miss Schnee." An attendant told Winter. She nodded gracefully. Winter eyed her sleeping traveling companion. Charles had spent most of their trip recalling tales of his world for her. She'd, of course, been somewhat skeptical at first, but the way he told his stories told her he wasn't lying.

Charles had talked at length about his children, both his regrets in not spending enough time with them, and how proud he was. He had explained his abilities as well. They were somewhat similar to a semblance, but they were quite different as well.

Winter was jolted out of her thoughts as the dustplane touched down. Charles stirred at the thud.

"Hmm? Are we there?"

"Yes. We just made it to Vale." The two them grabbed their bags. Winter had forced Charles to buy some extra clothes during one of their stops, so he now had a small duffel bag. He had refused to give up his worn trench coat. Winter had eventually conceded on that.

"What happened here?" Charles asked as they stepped off the aircraft. Vale was a mess. Scorch marks, bullet holes, craters, and so on. "Did something happen?" Charles grabbed the shoulder of a passing employee at the airport.

"Huh? Oh, a bunch of Grimm broke into the city through an underground tunnel a couple of days ago. The police and army handled it, though, so now it's just a matter of fixing things up." The man Charles had grabbed explained. The Aura released and thanked him for the information. He returned to Winter's side. "So, where to? Want to go meet your sister?"

"Yes," Winter nodded, "I think I should go see her first. We'll have to hop on another transport to get to Beacon." She led the older man behind her towards the proper landing pad.

* * *

Dimitri and Firo sat out on a bench in Beacon's plaza. Firo was attempting to acclimate herself to walking around without her helmet, since the headpiece had been lost during the breach. She felt considerably calmer with Dimitri nearby, but the pressure of being exposed to the world still weighed on her.

She had gotten no shortage of odd looks from some of the students since she had started wandering about with her ears out. Some of the looks had been disdainful, others full of pity when they saw her missing ear. It hadn't been all bad, though. Dimitri had helped her strike up a conversation with a student, Velvet, the day before. Like Firo, Velvet was a rabbit Faunus, so they had shared a pleasant hour chatting.

Firo noticed an incoming transport. She tapped Dimitri's shoulder and pointed to it. The transport landed with a metallic thud as the two of them walked over. It likely wasn't a threat, but after the breach, Ozpin had asked the two of them to screen any of the new arrivals. Two people stepped off the craft, one was a young woman with snow-white hair and regal bearing, while her companion was a man in a ragged trench coat- Dimitri suddenly pulled his handgun and centered it on the man.

* * *

"Lord Vortex." An Order member stepped into their leader's chamber and knelt. "I bring news."

"Speak." The Bloodline did not turn around from whatever holographic display he was looking at.

"The EDC has grown in number. Their total strength is unknown, but they number less than one hundred for sure." The soldier flinched as Vortex turned around.

"This is no problem, but it would do to test their defenses. What is your name?"

"Knight Solaris, my Lord."

"Solaris...you served under Ignis, didn't you?"

"Yes, my Lord, but when Lord Ignis betrayed the Order, I and a handful of others remained loyal to the cause."

"Your honesty is refreshing, if nothing else. However, I would like for you to prove your 'loyalty' to me. Take a few of your men and some of our Shades, and probe the defenses the EDC has arranged."

"Right away, my Lord." Solaris rose from his knee, quietly exiting the room. He walked down the dark tunnels underneath Mountain Glenn until he reached the area they had cleared to create Shades. Wolf-like Shades, Fenrirs, stood at the ready, tails gently waving as Solaris passed. They had yet to create more powerful ones, so the weakest Shades would have to do. Three of his subordinates were already waiting for him. "Come. We have work to do."

* * *

Charles raised his hands as Dimitri centered the gun on him. The rabbit-eared girl behind the Russian looked confused, and Winter had stepped between them.

"You have ten seconds to explain." Dimitri growled out.

"Explain what, Sergeant?"

"How you're alive?" Charles patted himself.

"I seem pretty alive to me."

"I was there! Both the Boss and I saw you die! You held off Vortex and Chaos so we could escape!" Dimitri said. The confrontation was at risk of drawing attention.

"I-" Charles paused. He had fought two other Bloodlines on his own to allow Alex and his squad to retreat. He remembered handing Alex the heirloom to give to his son...what had happened after that? "I can't recall..." He looked at Dimitri. "I know how to prove it. Winter, step back please."

The young woman moved out of the way and Charles flared his ability, the flaming violet wings unfurling. Winter flinched and the rabbit-eared woman took a noticeable step back. "I trust this will suffice?" Dimitri paused for moment, then holstered his gun.

"I doubt anyone could replicate that. Good to see you alive, Charles."

* * *

 **A/N: A new arc begins! The poll for your favorite character is still up, please go vote if you haven't already. Thank you for your time.**

* * *

 **To the awesome people who left reviews: Wow! Five for one chapter!**

 **Dimas15: Yes, I will eventually touch upon their histories more.**

 **Rebmul: Thank you! You're awesome for reading and reviewing every chapter!**

 **Skaana: Dammit, you're right. WE NEED TWELVE SHIPPING FRIEGHTERS OF C4 ON THE DOUBLE!**

 **NotPaulyD (Guest): Thanks for the words of advice and praise! I am working on improving pacing, since I do acknowledge that's probably my largest problem. For descriptions, I'm often not sure how to depict a lot of people or objects in great detail. Might have to dust off my half-assed drawing skills. Overall, glad to hear from someone else who likes and is enjoying the story so far!**

 **Wahs96: Thanks! I'm overjoyed that you like the story so far!**

 **Also, for those of you who haven't read it yet, go check out Wahs96's story, "Solipsism". It has a somewhat similar concept to Legends Scatter, minus my problem with pacing and it's really good! Go and give it a read if you have the time.**


	22. Chapter 21

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 21

Winter sighed to herself. After Charles had proven his identity, he had left with Dimitri to go meet someone named "Alex". Charles had asked her whether she would be alright on her own, and Winter had said yes, but mostly because she didn't want to interrupt Charles' reunion. Then she'd realized that she had no idea where Weiss' dorm was.

Firo had also stayed behind to give Dimitri and Charles some space. That, and after Charles' display of power, she had no desire to be standing near him. She noticed the young woman that came with the Aura looking lost. Well, part of her job was helping people...

"E-excuse me. D-do you need help?" Firo asked the white-haired woman.

"Huh? Oh. Yes, please. Could you assist me in finding my sister's dorm?"

"O-of course. What's her name?"

"Weiss-" Winter's eyes fell on Firo's rabbit ear, and she stopped mid-sentence.

"-S-schnee, right?"

"Yes..."

"T-this way, then." Firo pointed and began to lead Winter through the plaza. An awkward silence hung between them. Winter hesitantly spoke up.

"You don't have a problem with helping me?"

"I-I think you've misjudged m-me. T-this is my job. My p-personal issues with your family d-don't matter." Winter felt a small pang of sadness at Firo's words.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you've been through, but-"

"I d-don't need a Schnee's pity!" Firo hissed. "P-please. Let's stop talking." The rest of the walk to team RWBY's dorm room was quiet and tense.

Winter truly felt bad, she knew her family had ruined many lives, both Human and Faunus. When she'd confronted her father about it, he'd stripped her of her title as Heiress, and the inheritance of the company had passed to Weiss. Now, she was little more than a political bargaining chip in her father's eyes. She sighed to herself. What would her mother have done?

"W-we're here." Firo interrupted Winter's thoughts. "I-I'll leave you to the rest. I h-have other things to do..." The Faunus woman walked away without another word. Winter watched her disappear around a corner. She turned to the dorm door, raised her hand, and knocked.

* * *

"Ruby! What have I said about eating cookies on the beds?!" Weiss scolded her leader, who had a sheepish smile on her face.

"Not to?"

"And what did you do?"

"Sorry about your textbook, Weiss..." Ruby said, pressing her two index fingers together.

"You don't look very sorry..."

"They were so good!" Weiss prepared to berate the younger girl further, when there was a knock at the door.

"We'll talk more about this later." Weiss pulled the entrance open, revealing a tall, thin woman with snow-white hair tied up into a bun. "Winter?"

"Hello, Weiss." Winter opened her arms for a hug. Weiss stayed firmly rooted where she was.

"Why are you here? You and Father aren't supposed to be here for another week."

"I came early. Though Father might not be coming, there was an...incident back home."

"Well, if that's all-" Ruby pushed by Weiss.

"Hi! I'm Ruby! Ruby Rose." The small girl extended her hand. Winter took it and gave it a gentle shake.

"Nice to meet you, Ruby. I am Winter Schnee, Weiss' sister." Ruby grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room.

"Come on in! I think I still have some cookies left..."

"Ruby, I don't think-" Weiss began to object, but Ruby's ramblings about cookies drowned her out.

"It looks like I'm out. I'll go get some more! You two catch up for now." Ruby said before running out the door and down the hall. Weiss sighed. Winter noticed the other two girls in the room, who had been listening in up until now.

"Hello. I'm Winter. A pleasure to meet you both."

"Yang Xiao Long." One of the girls, a blonde, said. "I'm Ruby's sister."

"Blake." The other replied. She eyed the older Schnee sister distrustfully. Weiss cut back in.

"Why are you here, really, Winter?"

"Am I not allowed to visit my sister?" The younger sibling crossed her arms. "What exactly is your issue with me, Weiss?"

"Why couldn't you just have kept your mouth shut?" Weiss hissed at her. Yang and Blake shared wide-eyed glances at the open hostility. "Because of your little temper tantrum, do you know how hard it was for me to convince Father to let me come here?"

"Weiss, I-"

"YOU were supposed to be the Heiress! I had dreams! I wanted to be a Huntress! Now, I'll only get to be one for a few years at most! All because of-" The door of the room swung open, and Ruby stuck her head in.

"I'm back! And I brought a friend!...Is it colder in here?" Ruby pushed the door open, stepping in with Charles behind her.

"Hello, everyone. Charles Blackwill, at your service." He said with a small dramatic bow. "You must be Weiss." He held out his hand. Weiss crossed her arms, and he dropped his palm to his side. Yang and Blake both briefly introduced themselves. "I sense a lot of tension in here. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Weiss said. "Winter was just saying how she had to leave." She glared at the woman in question.

"Hey, now. There's no need to be rude to her." Charles said. "She is your sister after all." Weiss scoffed.

"The only relationship we have now is blood." Winter couldn't take it anymore, she rose and moved to the door.

"I- I'm sorry for disturbing you all. I'll be on my way." She exited the room.

"Winter..." Charles turned to Weiss as he left to follow Winter out into the hall. "You might want to treat your family better, young lady. There might be a day where they're all you've got." He closed the door behind him. Leaving Weiss to be questioned by her three teammates.

* * *

Charles followed Winter as she walked quickly through the halls. He saw her turn into a quiet corner behind a pillar. She leaned against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position. She held her face in her hands. Charles could hear a small sob.

He sat next to her.

"My brother and I used to fight like that..." Winter wiped her eyes with her hand.

"H-how did the two of you resolve your issues?"

"We never got the chance to..." Charles drifted off. "You should tell Weiss your side of the story. If something happens to either one of you, the other will regret never resolving it."

"Every time I try, she just shouts and doesn't give me a chance to explain."

"Well, you might have to yell over her at first." Charles said. Winter let out a rueful chuckle, wiping more tears from her face. She lightly hugged Charles' arm.

"Thank you, Mr. Blackwill."

"It's what I'm here for."

* * *

Firo tightly gripped a soda can in her hand. She had returned to watching the plaza in a foul mood. Simply being around a Schnee had left a bad taste in her mouth, even worse when the woman had tried to pity her! The bit-

"That's a rather unpleasant look on your face. Something wrong?" She whirled around to find Dimitri behind her.

"N-nothing really...I'll get over it."

"If you say so." Dimitri sat on a bench next to her. "Do you know why the students are just wandering around? I think I missed a memo."

"Classes are canceled for two weeks to allow the students to prepare for the tournament."

"Ah." They sat quietly for a while, Firo eventually tossing her can into a recycling bin. Firo caught sight of a particular student.

"Is that Blake?"

"I think so." Dimitri saw Blake walk to the landing pad. She was holding something in her hands. She stepped onto on a Bullhead, which quickly flew down towards Vale. "Where could she be going?"

"Are you going to follow her?"

"Considering how the members of team RWBY tend to attract trouble? We probably should. Care to accompany me?" Firo sighed.

"I'll tell Luna to cover for us..."

* * *

 **A/N: Progress! Sorry for the delay. Not exactly thrilled by how this chapter turned out, but I needed it to set up things for later.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Rebmul: You should go read it, it is really well done!**

 **NotPaulyD: The pressure is real! Though, thanks for the advice, I will try to follow at least some of it, more if my brain will allow. This chapter probably might disappoint a little, since it is shorter than the last one.**

 **Skaana: I will say now that Charles is not Ignis. Ignis is a different Bloodline Aura that will not be joining in on this story.**


	23. Chapter 22

**Reworked the description, because it was a bit unclear. I think it's better now(?).**

 **RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 22

Alex wandered through the halls. The corridors themselves were rather quiet, as most students were either in the library or the training hall preparing for the tournament. A small crash echoed from around a corner. Alex peered into the adjoining hall, finding a pair of jeans sticking out from underneath a pile of books.

"Help! I can't breathe!" A muffled cry came from somewhere underneath the mountain of text. Alex quickly dug the occupant out of the pile. Said victim had been Jaune Arc, who had decided it was a good idea to carry a stack of books that stood nearly as tall as himself. After a short protest, Jaune had given in and allowed Alex to carry half of the load.

"Where are we taking these?" Alex asked as he hefted the books.

"My dorm room." The blond student replied, lifting his own half of the texts and beginning to walk. "Thanks for the hand."

"It's my job. Just be a bit more careful next time. Or just take more than one trip."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind..." Jaune paused, looking uncomfortable with the silence that had followed. "Hey, you're a good fighter, right?"

"So I've been told. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering whether you could give me some tips or tricks sometime. Ruby suggested it to me once, and with the tournament coming up, I figured I'd ask."

"Sure, though I'm not sure how much help I'd be, seeing as I don't use a sword."

"Yea- oh! Here we go!" Jaune stopped in front of a door. "Let me get this..." The student began trying to hold the books on his leg while reaching for his scroll.

"Just put the stack down for a second, Jaune." Alex laughed. "They're just going to fall on you again if you try to balance them like that." Jaune ceased his struggle and deposited the texts on the ground. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he unlocked the door.

Alex set the books on Jaune's desk with a heavy thud. He noticed that the room was devoid of any other students.

"Where's your team?" Jaune dropped his stack onto the desk.

"Pyrrha's probably training, and Ren probably got dragged off by Nora." Jaune shrugged. He bent over to pick up something from the floor, his weapon, which had apparently fallen from leaning against his bed. Alex eyed the sword oddly. Upon close inspection, it seemed...off.

"Jaune, I just had a thought. How long have you had your sword?"

"Crocea Mors? I've only had it for a while. It used to be my grandfather's."

"May I see it?" Jaune hesitantly held the weapon in his hands for a few moments, before cautiously handing it to Alex. The soldier hefted the sheathed sword in both hands. "It's heavy." Almost too heavy, in fact, for someone of Jaune's build. He handed Crocea Mors back to its rightful owner. "Part of your trouble with combat might just be that you're using a weapon that wasn't made for you. Did you ever consider trying some other style of combat?"

"Every Arc has wielded Crocea Mors since the beginning, I can't exactly just _not_ use it, can I?" Alex shook his head at the boy's question.

"Do you think that your family's sword hasn't undergone refinements or changes over the years?" Jaune opened his mouth to reply, stopped short, opened his mouth again, then froze again. Alex suppressed the urge to chuckle as Jaune continued to imitate a fish out of water.

"I hadn't thought of that..." The student finally said. "It doesn't feel right to change Crocea Mors just as I'm getting used to it though." Alex rubbed his chin, he had an idea.

"I have a proposition for you, Jaune. How about I teach you some of my skills? Your build is sort of similar to mine, so my style of combat might suit you."

"So...you wouldn't be helping me with swordplay?"

"No, since I don't really have any expertise in that area." Jaune stopped to give the matter some thought.

"Well, even in the worst-case scenario, I still get a secret weapon of sorts, right?" Alex chuckled.

"Something like that, yes."

"Count me in, then! When do we start?" Jaune looked at the books, "Uh, I might need to take some of these back..."

* * *

Blake took a path through an alleyway in downtown Vale. Dimitri and Firo lagged several meters behind her. Her pace was quick, and she seemed to know where she was going, which gave her a lead on the two adults. Dimitri had voiced possibly alerting Blake to their presence, but by the time this thought had crossed his mind, it took everything they had just to keep up with her.

The student had picked a rather run-down section of the city to visit. The buildings were in dire condition, with dull, peeling paint and windows boarded with wood or sheet metal. Firo looked between the structures warily, an uncomfortable feeling washing over her. This place was just like the slums back in Atlas. Blake had pulled further ahead, now a good twenty meters ahead of them. She was no longer wearing her bow.

As they continued the student, Dimitri noted that this neighborhood seemed to be entirely Faunus. The residents didn't seem to pay Blake or Firo any mind, but they certainly noticed the Russian. Dimitri saw a mother pull her child inside their home as he passed. He realized just how bad relations were, that there were Faunus that hid simply at the sight of a Human.

Blake turned left into a gated field. Upon reaching the cast-iron grid that acted as the entrance, Dimitri got a full view of the plot of land. The field was full of stones...headstones. This was a graveyard. Graveyards were fairly rare back on Earth, having been mostly abandoned easily a century before Dimitri had even been born, but he had seen on once before.

Blake had stopped in front of two stones. She sat on her knees and placed the objects she had been holding at their bases. Two white, daffodil-like flowers.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad." Blakes voice came out choked. Those words broke Dimitri's heart. "I just thought I'd come visit. Keep you both company." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "I've met some interesting people since I last visited. You'd like them, Dad. They're the humans you always wished existed, ones who treat us like equals out of friendship and respect." She let out a soft sob, and Dimitri saw shimmering tears begin to fall to the ground.

He quietly walked over to Blake, softly lowering himself so he was sitting at her side. Firo seemed to hesitate for a moment, but followed his example shortly after. Blake's head turned to see Dimitri with a kind smile in his face and Firo with eyes full of understanding. Without uttering a single word, Blake buried her face in Dimitri's shoulder. He gently pat the girl's back, letting her vent her sorrow openly. Firo reached out and took one of Blake's hands, which the student gripped tightly.

After a few minutes, her sobs subsided, and she lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Thank you..." she sniffed and turned to her parents' graves. "Mom, Dad, these are Mr. Averin and Miss Firo. They've been looking out for me recently." Blake smiled gently at the stones. "If you could meet them, I'm sure you'd get along." Dimitri and Firo sat with Blake as she recounted how wonderful the people in her life were to her parents, and how she wished they were around to meet them. She finished her story with a soft smile across her face. She rose from her sitting position. "I'll come visit again soon, okay?" Firo stood up with her, giving Blake a light, reassuring pat on her back. The two looked at Dimitri who had remained seated.

"You two go ahead...I'll catch up." Blake nodded.

"We'll walk slowly. Don't take too long, alright?"

"Of course." The two girls departed, their shoes rustling against the grass with each step. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Dimitri turned back to the graves. "Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna, I am Dimitri Averin. I've only known your daughter for a short while, but even in that time, I see that you raised a brilliant and kind young woman. You should be proud of her." He stopped. "I know what it feels like to lose your family, what it does to a person. I give you both my word that I will do my best to protect her." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, dull steel ring. "Consider this my promise." He dug at the ground slightly, raising a small patch of grass. He placed the ring in the small hole between Blake's parents, burying it beneath the small patch of grass. "I will not let any harm come to her." The Russian rose, casting one last look over his shoulder as he walked into the light of the setting sun.

* * *

Back at Beacon, Alex heard his scroll emit its small beep. He pulled the device out and read off the screen. A message from the headmaster.

 _Mr. Greene, please come to my office. Bartholomew and myself would like to ask you and Mr. Raphael some more questions._ _The door is unlocked_ _-_ _Ozpin_

Alex returned the scroll to his pocket and began the trek up to Ozpin's office. Upon reaching the door, he pushed his way into the room. Arthur was already seated next to Oobleck in an armchair. Ozpin had four mugs of hot coffee spread out on his desk.

"Mr. Greene, right on time." Ozpin waved him into a seat. "Bartholomew raised a rather pressing question. What can you and Mr. Raphael tell us about the Order?"

"I realized that if the EDC is here in force, it's quite possible that members of the Order passed into Remnant as well." Oobleck cut in. Alex nodded slightly.

"What do you need to know?" Alex settled himself into his chair.

"To start, how were they organized? Did they have some system of ranks?"

"Yes. The lowest ranking members were called Acolytes. Whenever a member of the Order took the field, it was usually an Acolyte. Above them were Knights, who essentially acted as commanders. We didn't even see one of them until the Guardians started drawing them out." Alex explained. Arthur nodded as Alex spoke, then took over the explanation.

"Then above Knights, you had Lords, which were exclusively Bloodlines as far as I know."

"And Vortex is one of these?"

"Yes." Ozpin rubbed his forehead.

"Is it possible that any other Lords have made it to Remnant?" Oobleck asked, taking a shaky sip of his coffee. Arthur shook his head.

"No, I believe that is unlikely." The headmaster and Doctor let out sighs of relief.

"That puts my mind at ease." Oobleck breathed. "So, aside from Vortex, the worst we would have to deal with would be a Knight?"

"Yes." Arthur nodded.

"A Knight would still be a significant threat, Doc." Alex explained. "They might not be as bad as a Bloodline, but even one Knight can take on a full squad." Oobleck began to pale again. "Thankfully, we have Arthur's team and a Bloodline of our own." Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"We do? Who would that be, Mr. Greene?"

"Earlier today, a man named Charles Blackwill arrived in Vale. He is an inheritor of the Terror Bloodline. He's an ally and a friend." Oobleck drained the last of his mug and set the cup on Ozpin's desk with a small clunk.

"So we're not in danger at the moment?" The other three occupants of the office shook their heads.

"Bartholomew, my old friend," Ozpin said, "If there is one thing I have learned recenly, it is that we are always in danger."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, hopefully that wasn't too bad. Was the old description really misleading? I didn't think so, but it never hurts to make sure.**

 **Dimas15 and Rebmul, thanks for both reviewing the last chapter. As long as I'm making something at least one person enjoys, I'll keep on going.**


	24. Chapter 23

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 23

Ruby had woken up a bit earlier than usual, just as the sun peeked up over the horizon. She changed into her signature red cloak and black skirt, then reach for her scroll. She fumbled the device, causing it to fall to the ground with a small thud.

"Ugh...Ruby? What're you doing?" Yang yawned, having been woken up by the sudden noise. Thankfully, the other two members of team RWBY remained asleep. Despite her assertions to the contrary, Weiss was quite a heavy sleeper. Blake probably had heard the noise, but had gone back to sleep.

"I was gonna go out for a walk." Ruby told her sister, who was in the process of stretching as quietly as possible. They were both careful to speak softly.

"Mind if I join you?" Yang asked, rolling her shoulders.

"Sure."

"Alright. Just let me change." Yang grabbed a fresh set of clothing from the drawers and disappeared into the bathroom. Ruby sat on her bed, waiting for her sister to reemerge.

* * *

In Vale, Charles had found himself awoken by a sharp pain in his head.

 _It's too damn early for this. What do you want, old man?_ Charles thought to himself.

 _We have sensed the presence of a group of Auras from our home._ A deep voice in his head replied.

 _You're a bit late if you_ _all_ _detected those Guardian kids_ _just_ _now._

 _These ones' fear tastes different._ Another voice, one that was clearly female, rasped flatly.

 _Fine._ _I'll look into it._ Charles rose out of his bed, still dressed in his clothing from the day before. He grabbed his trench coat from the back of a chair it had been hanging on, pulling the faithful article of clothing over his shoulders.

He quietly exited his room, throwing a glance towards the next door over, where Winter was hopefully still sleeping. He knocked softly on the door. No response, good. Charles worked his way up to the roof of the hotel he and Winter had been staying in. He flared his ability, unfurling his flaming wings. With a leap, he rocketed off into the sky.

 _Alright, old folk_ _s_ _, where am I headed?_ Charles asked the voices.

 _That academy._

* * *

"Morning, Mr. Alex." The man in question turned to the two girls that had walked up behind him. He had been standing in the plaza at the front of the school, taking in the early morning air.

"Morning, Ruby. Yang." He returned the greeting. "What's up?"

"Just out for a walk. I couldn't sleep." Ruby explained. "The ended up waking Yang up, so- hey, what's that?" Ruby pointed to a patch of sky that seemed to shimmer and distort. Alex eyed the shifting air. It was moving, and coming closer, growing larger. The distortion drifted to the ground in front of them. Alex wracked his brain, he could swear he'd seen this befo-

"Ruby. Yang. Get to cover-" The mirage-like bubble partially dissipated, and several black blurs came darting out. Alex found his left arm clamped in the mouth of a pitch-black wolf, a Fenrir, a Shade. The shadowy creature's teeth dug into his armor. Alex reacted quickly, drawing his combat knife and plunging it into the beast's eye. A quick drag of the knife down the Fenrir's length, and the Shade disintegrated as its shape could no longer be maintained. More of the Shades circled around Alex and the two students. A mocking applause came from the remaining distortion, and four figures in black armor stepped into the morning light. The leader, a large man, continued to clap as he walked forward.

"As to be expected of the legendary Alex Greene. It's no surprise that you'd be able to handle a single Fenrir. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Solaris, Knight of the Order, and I have been tasked to carry out the commands of Lord Vortex." Solaris drew a heavy looking mace from his waist and rested it on his shoulder. "Technically, my orders are to simply test your strength, but how glad would Lord Vortex be if I brought him your head?" Alex drew his handgun and began cycling his armor's systems, then moved between Solaris and the girls.

"Ruby, Yang, get out of here when you get the chance." Neither of the students were armed with their weapons, so he'd have to make sure they made it to safety. The Order soldiers chuckled at him.

"Surely you don't think we're here just for you, do you?" Solaris drew a pistol from behind him in his off hand. Alex had mere seconds to react, his shields weren't up yet, but he put himself into the firearm's flight path. The weapon released its thunderous discharge, and Alex felt the projectile pass through his left shoulder. He heard a short cry from behind him, and he spun around. Ruby fell to the ground, clutching at a slowly expanding dark, wet patch above her heart. Yang screamed.

"RUBY!"

* * *

The single gunshot had sent the EDC into a state of high alert, the soldiers grabbing their gear and rushing for the source. Fyres handed out commands, watching the four Vanguards power up. He grabbed a rifle from a rack.

"Move it out, lads!" Fyres waved his men forward, running with them as they headed towards the noise.

* * *

"YOU BASTARD!"

"Yang, don't!" The blonde student rushed past Alex and straight at Solaris. Her hair was ablaze with fury. She smashed her bare fist into Solaris' chest plate, he seemed unfazed by the impact.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Yang roared at the Knight. She continued to pound her fists into his armor, her knuckles bleeding as they were cut on its edges.

"This is rather irritating." Solaris grabbed Yang's arms, effortlessly stopping her assault. Her flames sputtered and died. "Hmm. You use fire as well. I'll be borrowing yours, if you don't mind." He threw the now weakened Yang, who came to a rest beside her sister. Alex her whisper Ruby's name. "Now that your friends are out of the way, Greene-" Solaris stopped and jumped back as a bullet slashed across the air he had been occupying.

"Sorry we're late, Major." Fyres said, holding a lightly smoking rifle, the rest of the EDC forces arrayed behind him. "Take up positions! I want these bastards good an' trapped." Solaris whispered something to one of his soldiers, who snapped their fingers. The remaining bubble of distortion vanished, revealing three large, curled black shapes. The shapes stood up, allowing the people present to identify them as giant, winged reptilian Shades.

"WYVERNS!" Fyres yelled, causing the assembled forces to dive for cover. The Shades in question wasted no time, one leaping towards the humans. A Vanguard found itself pinned under one of the creature's massive weight. The metal creaked and gave, the Wyvern's claws crushed the pilot inside. The other two beasts rushed the other soldiers, grabbing them in their jaws or throwing them with a swipe of one of their tails.

Solaris signaled the Fenrirs, and the wolves ran off in different directions around the campus. In mere moments, the sounds of fighting erupted from within the academy as the Shades encountered students and staff that had been woken up by the gunfire.

Alex raised his arm and aimed his handgun at Solaris, his left shoulder leaking blood as he moved. A dark red pool had begun to form under Ruby's limp form. Yang kept trying to rouse her.

"Well. This has been a horribly disappointing experience so far." Solaris sighed and turned to his three soldiers. "Take care of them. I'll oversee the rest of the attack." They nodded and advanced on Alex.

* * *

As Solaris moved across the plaza, a blast of purple flame erupted in front of him. Dust, dirt, and stone fragments splintered in every direction. Out of the smoke stepped a figure wreathed in purple flames. The Knight hefted his mace.

"Maybe this trip will be worth it after all. I know _you'd_ make a worthy-" Solaris scrutinized the figure in front of him, noticing something off. "Wait. You aren't the current Terror. Who are you?" The flaming being remained silent. "No matter. I'm certain Lord Vortex will be pleased if I bring him _your_ head."

The figure flashed out of sight, reappearing between Alex and the trio of Order soldiers closing on him. One of the soldiers dove out of the way as the flaming being waved its hand. The other two suddenly dropped dead as their spines emitted loud snaps.

"Good timing, Charles." Alex said, slightly lowering his weapon. The Bloodline nodded.

"I'll deal with the leader. Can you handle the last one?"

"Yeah. Go get him." Charles flashed back to Solaris, who had his mace at the ready.

"I always wanted to test myself against a Bloodline..."

* * *

The remaining Order soldier rose from his position on the ground. Alex shakily raised his handgun, his bleeding shoulder hampering his aim. The Aura rushed at him, moving in a serpentine pattern. Alex squeezed off four shots, each one missing the moving target.

The Order soldier drew two knives from his belt. Alex ducked beneath a horizontal slash, but felt the second knife dig into his abdomen and bounce off a rib. Alex gripped the man's arm holding the second knife, bringing his gun up on his opponent's head. The weapon was knocked from his grasp by the enemy's other hand. The handgun flew and ground to a halt near Ruby's body.

Alex pulsed his armor's shock gauntlets, causing his opponent to reel back and yank his knife out of Alex's gut. The Aura stepped into a ready stance, and the two soldiers circled each other. The black armored man closed the distance, using Alex's weakened state to his advantage. Alex acquired two additional deep lacerations to his right bicep and thigh.

"If I kill you, I'm sure Lord Vortex would make me a Knight." The man mused to himself. "I'll make it quick if you just surrend-" He didn't finish his sentence as his helmet exploded outward. A bullet had passed through the back of his head. Alex looked for the source of the shot. He saw his handgun...held in the hands of a certain bleeding, but very much alive student. Her eyes were wide and her hands shook.

"Ruby?"

Solaris was regretting underestimating the Bloodline. Charles had destroyed him in combat, moving faster and striking harder than the Knight could hope to. He barely deflected a lightning-fast strike from above. This Terror was giving him no openings.

"There's one thing I hate above all else." Charles growled at his enemy. "And that's people who hurt kids." Solaris' face was unreadable behind his helmet, but Charles could almost _feel_ the man's face break into a mocking sneer.

"As much as I would like to have a taste of your wrath, I have a mission to complete. If you'll excuse me..." Solaris emptied what remained of his aura into a single blast of light and heat. Charles raised a hand to cover his eyes as the wave passed over him. In the moment of confusion, Solaris ran to the edge of the Beacon landing pad and leapt from the cliff. Charles lowered his arm in time to see the Knight fleeing into the distance on the back of a Wyvern.

 _After him!_ _He's escaping!_ The old man shouted in his head.

 _I_ _w_ _on't leave_ _these people_ _to fight alone_ _._ _I can kill him some other day._ Charles snarled back. He went to help clean up the remaining foes.

* * *

Alex sat with Ruby, applying pressure to her wound. Yang had dragged herself over to them, still laying on her stomach, unable to muster the strength to stand. The girl in red muttered to herself.

"I killed him. I killed him. I-" Yang stroked her hair in an effort to calm her down.

"Ruby, it's alright. Just breathe." Alex said. "It'll be alright." Ruby stared at him with a haunted look in her eyes. "It's okay." Tears began to stream down her face. Yang wrapped her arms around her sister as best as she could from the ground. Ruby grasped Alex's hand with one of her own, and her other grabbed onto one of Yang's. Her grip tightened, as if she were afraid of drifting away.

* * *

 **Later...**

Dimitri walked over to Charles and Fyres, who stood near the statue in the plaza. The other two men looked tired, though the Russian was sure he didn't look much better. The plaza itself was a mess. Bullet casings and holes riddled the area, along with several craters from grenades. More than one patch of dried blood stained the concrete.

"What'd we lose?" Fyres asked as he drew near.

"Lots of injuries among the students and staff, no deaths." He paused. "But, we're down seven men and one Vanguard. And that's not counting injuries."

"Damn it all." Fyres placed his face in his hands and sat on a bench. "Least they took three of those Order bastards with 'em." Charles crossed his arms and shook his head.

"There is no silver lining here, Captain. Good people lost their lives."

"Aye, you're right." Fyres nodded solemnly. The three of them looked over the destruction before them in silence for a few moments. "Ya think these kids'll be alright? Can they handle fighting something like the Order."

"They held off Shades with zero experience under their belts." Dimitri said. "They stand a better chance than we ever did."

* * *

Solaris limped into Vortex's chamber. No fractured leg would keep him from dutifully reporting. As he entered, he saw Vortex dismiss the fox-eared boy.

"My Lord, I have returned." The Knight knelt on the floor. "The enemy is stronger than we anticipated."

"As I can clearly see from your condition. But no Human did this to you."

"No, my Lord. They have the assistance of a Bloodline. Terror."

"Terror?" Vortex pondered to himself. "That boy is here?"

"No, this one is different. He is older. Wields a simple shortsword and handgun, unlike the current Terror from back home." Vortex seemed to tense at the description.

"You are certain?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Very well. You may leave. See one of the healers and then await further instructions." Solaris bowed and departed. Once the door closed behind the Knight, Vortex smashed his fist into the wall.

"It cannot be him. He's dead! Chaos and I killed him ourselves!" The Lord seethed with an old hatred. "How many times must I kill you, Blackwill!?"

* * *

 **A/N: I didn't really like how this chapter turned out. I can't write action scenes, it seems. Though it might be from sleep deprivation, who knows.**

 **As usual, thanks to Dimas15 and Rebmul for leaving me reviews. It's always nice to know people are checking in. Also, thanks to HeroBladeRiyet for leaving one as well!**


	25. Chapter 24

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 24

Alex was awoken by the sound of someone pounding on his door. The soldier graoned and pulled himself slowly out of bed. Thanks to Luna, the deep gashes in his skin from the previous day's fighting had scabbed over. She had insisted on fully healing him at first, but he had declined so that she could help people in more dire peril than he was at the time.

Alex turned the handle of the door and pulled it open. Yang stood outside his room, both her hands lightly bandaged from her own injuries. Her wounds were closing at a slower rate than normal, as her drained aura had yet to fully replenish itself. Even with that, however, she still was recovering much faster than Alex was.

"Morning, Alex." Yang blinked and muttered. She had dark rings under her eyes, and she wavered slightly as she stood. "Can I get your help?"

"Of course." He knew exactly what she might need help with. "How is she?"

"Ruby finally calmed down sometime after midnight, but I stayed up to make-" Yang yawned loudly, interrupting herself mid-sentence. "-to make sure she slept. But when she woke up this morning, she wouldn't talk to anyone. I was wondering if you could try something?"

"Sure, I'll do my best. Why don't you go get some sleep, Yang? You look like you're about to fall over."

"I can't sleep while I'm worried. Once Ruby's back to bouncing off the walls, then I can rest. I'm just gonna...go-" Her mouth opened into another yawn. "-get...coffee...or something..." Yang's eyes began to drift shut.

"Don't go collapsing on me." Alex stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. "Anything else before I go? Any suggestions?"

"I guess just...try to get her brain off what happened." Yang answered helplessly.

"Alright." Alex gave her a pat on the shoulder. "You sure you can make it to the cafeteria?"

"Yeah." The student nodded. "Just go get my sister back, please."

* * *

Alex knocked softly on the door of team RWBY's dorm. The entrance creaked as Weiss slowly cracked open the door, allowing Alex to step into the room. Weiss appeared to be in a similar state of sleep deprivation as Yang, though to a lesser degree. Zwei, Ruby and Yang's corgi, was curled up on one of the beds, next to an unmoving bundle of blankets. The tip of a red cloak protruded out from the small pile of cloth. Zwei moved as Alex walked near, allowing the soldier to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Ruby? It's Alex." No answer. He turned to Weiss. "Can I try talking to her alone?" The heiress nodded and silently excused herself from the room, carefully shutting the door as they departed. "Just you and me now, Ruby. You can talk to me." The bundle slowly rotated in place, so that Alex could see the girl's face barely poking out from the blankets. Her silver eyes had lost their usual enthusiastic luster, replaced with a saddened, dull gray. A tiny hand poked out of the cloth, Alex gently took hold of it, Zwei waddled over and licked it.

"I can't do this..." Ruby whispered. "I thought I could, but I can't."

"What do you mean, Ruby?"

"Being a Huntress. I want to go home. I can't be a killer." New tears began to fall from her eyes onto the bed.

"Ruby, what happened yesterday...it's not your fault. You saved my life by shooting him, do you regret that?"

"No..."

"Do you want to regret giving up your dream? Deprive the world of seeing the great Ruby Rose send hordes of Grimm packing?" Alex was greeted with silence as the girl mulled things over. "A huntress' job is to help people, right?" Ruby nodded her head slowly. "Then let's go help someone." Alex didn't give her time to answer, and picked up Ruby, blankets and all. He balanced her weight over his shoulder and carried her out of the room.

* * *

Ruby didn't put up a fight as Alex carried her. He set her down as they entered a testing room. Ruby shed her cloth cocoon, unceremoniously tossing the blankets into a corner. The room was mostly empty, aside from a simple workbench, a table, and four chairs. What exactly did Alex plan to do in here?

The answer came in the form of a cart being pushed through the testing room door, pushed by a certain blond boy, Jaune.

"Hey, Mr. Greene. I got your message and gathered all the stuff on the list- Ruby?" The girl's head swiveled to look at Jaune, and she offered a quiet greeting. "So, where do we start?"

"First, Jaune, you'll be making a weapon that fits your hands a bit better."

"Okay." Jaune nodded and then paused. "-and...how do I do that?"

"Well, I only know enough about weapons to perform maintenance. Luckily, there's an engineering genius in the room. Right, Ruby?" The student in question silently stood several feet from Jaune and Alex. The adult in the room stood back as Jaune examined the various components in front of him. He fiddled and attempted to match pieces together, but to no avail. Alex watched Ruby subconsciously drift closer and closer to her fellow student as he worked. Eventually, she silently seated herself with Jaune at the room's sole table.

"...that doesn't go there..." She muttered. Jaune ceased his blundering. "...it goes right here...unless you want to put in an internal Dust chamber..." Jaune smiled and followed her instructions.

"Thanks, Ruby" The corner of her mouth twitched to an almost imperceptible degree. She continued to guide Jaune through the basic components of his weapon, steadily growing more enthusiastic, giggling when Jaune somehow sent a screw flying across the room. Alex saw a sliver of light return to her eyes.

"Finished." Ruby placed her hands on her hips proudly. Jaune looked equally pleased as they examined the completed product. Alex had scavenged several parts from an old EDC low caliber sub-machine gun, which Jaune and Ruby had then filled with components. He had figured that the weapon's light frame and small size would allow Jaune to adapt to carrying it easily.

"Step one done. Good work, you two. Now for step two. Jaune you brought something for target practice like I asked?"

"Yep."

"Alright, set it up at the back of the room, then stand around fifteen feet away from it." The blond student nodded happily and grabbed a rolled up sheet of paper from the cart. Alex turned to Ruby. "Feel a bit better?"

"Thank you for not letting me give up." She said, before closing the distance and latching onto Alex's waist. "And...thank you for saving me."

"Sorry that I didn't slow down the bullet enough." Ruby made a small huff of amusement.

"You and Miss Aya did fine." Alex raised an eyebrow, and Ruby pulled a bent and twisted pair of metal ovals from a hidden pocket under her cloak. Alex realized what had happened, and began to chuckle.

"Told you she'd watch your back."

"You both saved me. If the bullet hadn't slowed down by hitting you, I'd probably be dead."

"Well, you saved me too, so I'd say we're even." Alex ruffled Ruby's hair, and she broke into a calm smile. "Now, let's teach Jaune how to shoot, shall we?"

* * *

Yang slowly stumbled her way through the halls. She had gone to the cafeteria for some food and coffee to keep her awake, but then she had overheard the other students in the building.

"Did you hear the rumor?"

"Did you know that Rose killed somebody?"

"Damn, who knew a little girl like her could be so cold-blooded." The gossiping went on and on. Yang had angrily shoved her plate and cup away and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Yang was jolted out of her thoughts as she bumped into someone. They that made a grunt of surprise as she fell on top of them.

"Morning, Beautiful. How's your sister doing?"

 _Oh, I really don't need this right now._ "Why? So you can spread more rumors about how she's a murderer?" Yang furiously pushed herself off the boy's chest, knocking the air out of his lungs as she rose.

"Why would I do that? She saved the Bossman after all."

"Huh?" Yang scrutinized the boy's face. He looked familiar... if she mentally added a scraggly beard and a helmet... "Ryland, right?"

"Yup." The young soldier nodded.

"Sorry about accusing you like that. I'm-"

"-Tired and frustrated. I know. Just let the rumor mill run itself out."

"But-"

"I've already spoken to several people and...corrected their stories."

"Wait, really? You did that for Ruby?"

"Any friend of the Major is a friend of the First Infantry." Ryland's face broke into a toothy grin.

"Maybe I was wrong about you." Yang's own mouth stretched into a smile at the soldier's infectious happiness. "I thought you were just a flirt, but you're not so bad, Ryland."

"I think I'll choose to take that as a compliment."

"It was."

* * *

Well, there was no better way to say it. Jaune Arc was not born to be a swordsman. The blond boy had surprised both Alex and his classmate by hitting the head of the Ursa on the poster he had set up five times in quick succession. Jaune had shown stunning discipline behind the trigger, taking only single shots with each pull.

"You sure you've never handled a gun before?" Alex asked.

"I figured it wouldn't be right to just swing the thing around and hold down the trigger..." Jaune replied.

"Well, you handled it like a pro." The soldier took a quick peek at his scroll. "It's getting late, though, you two missed lunch. Let's stop here for today, and we'll pick up again tomorrow." Jaune packed his new weapon away safely in a hard case, then turned to leave with a wave.

"Thanks, Mr. Greene. Thanks, Ruby. I'll see you both tomorrow." The door slid shut behind him. Ruby tugged on Alex's arm.

"Now the horrible feeling is coming back." She said sadly. "Does it ever stop? Does it get better?"

"Ruby.." Alex knelt on his knee to better match the girl's height. "It does stop hurting after a while, but I want to tell you something. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to take a life, pray that it hurts just as much as the first time. If you get used to killing, that's when you lose yourself." He placed both his hands on her shoulders. "That pain tells you that you're still human. Don't forget that, and don't think less of yourself for feeling it, alright?" She nodded quietly. Alex rose to his feet. Ruby wrapped her arms around his waist again, pulling away after a few moments.

"Thank you, Mr. Alex."

"I think you can drop the 'mister' part, Ruby. We're friends, right?"

"Oh- Okay then. Thank you...Alex."

"You're welcome, Ruby. Now go find your sister, she's been worried about you."

"Yes, sir!" She attempted a joking salute and ran out of the door, trailing rose petals in her wake.

* * *

Meanwhile, in two separate places, the two Schnee sisters received an identical message on their scrolls.

 _To my daughters,_

 _Matters at the estate were handled more quickly than expected. I will arrive in Vale tomorrow at noon precisely. I wish for the both of you to meet me at the "Alten Herrenhaus" an hour after. Do not be late._

 _Calder Schnee._

* * *

 **A/N: Well, Ruby's mostly out of the woods now. But it looks like Weiss and Winter'll be dealing with their own problems soon enough.**

 **Rebmul: Well, some of your questions should be answered here. But, it's not done yet.**

 **Dimas15: Thanks for the willingness to be patient. I ended up sleeping in the middle of the day yesterday, and that replenished my energy.**

 **Gravenimage: Thanks for stopping by!**

 **HeroBladeRiyet: Ruby's life will now be commentated by the Halo announcer.**


	26. Chapter 25

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 25

Pyrrha Nikos woke with a yawn. She rolled her shoulder as she got up, then looked around the room. Less than two weeks remained until the Vytal Festival tournament, so she thought that her whole team should train together. Only, there was one issue: Jaune's bed was already empty and neatly made. A small paper note rested on top of it.

 _Guys,_

 _I have some stuff planned for today. I know it's a bit weird with the tournament right around the corner, but it'll be worth it, trust me. Don't wait up._

 _Jaune_

"What could he be doing?" Pyrrha wondered out loud. Was he in trouble again and not asking for help? She thought they had dealt with that. Of course, it could also just be a surprise, and he didn't want Nora to ruin the whole thing. Their orange-haired teammate was the _worst_ at keeping things to herself. The redhead sighed. Jaune had canceled their nightly sparring sessions for the weeks leading up to the competition. She had assumed it was because they would be training together during the day, but that hadn't been the case. Now she was just confused.

* * *

Jaune's back collided with the foam mat on the ground. He was shortly joined by Ruby sprawling out beside him.

"Good effort, you two, but you need to time your attacks a bit better." Alex chuckled as the two students rose into kneeling positions. He extended both his hands to help them up. Ruby and Jaune exchanged glances and took their opportunity, both tackling Alex onto the mat.

"There! We finally got you!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I don't think it counts though, Ruby. He wasn't exactly ready." Jaune replied, pushing himself off of the ground.

"Eh. He should be ready for anything, right Mr. Alex?"

"You've got me there." Alex laughed. His scroll beeped from its place on a table, Alex picked it up and checked the screen. "Hold on, I have to step out and take this."

* * *

"What's up, Arthur?" Alex's voice came through the scroll. The blond Guardian leaned against the wall behind a pillar. He had switched out his white powered armor for a simple set of leather armor with metal gauntlets and shoulder pads worn over a white t-shirt and khaki cargo pants.

"Nothing at the moment, just checking in to update you on what's going on around the academy." Arthur whispered into the scroll.

"Anything substantial yet?"

"No. If Ozpin's right, and there are moles among the students, they're hiding well."

"What _did_ you find then?" Arthur quickly check his surroundings, waiting for nods from his scattered team that the area was clear.

"Anika and Miko found listening devices distributed around several rooms in the academy. We removed them from the staff lounge door, Goodwitch's office, and a couple of the dorm rooms. There are probably more though."

"Alright. Keep an eye out for anything else."

"Of course. Take care, Major."

"You too." The call clicked as it ended. Arthur stepped out from behind the pillar, signaling his team to follow him. The hulking Guardian, Nathan, closed the distance between them first. He moved with a frightening silence for someone of his large stature.

"What now, Arthur?"

"We do exactly what the Major said, we keep a watchful eye for anything out of the ordinary." The larger male made an affirming grunt. The four members of their group walked through the halls, when suddenly they heard a loud crash echo from one of the empty classrooms. Miko and Anika both drew their weapons, twin pistols and a marksman rifle and burst through the door. Arthur and Nathan moved in behind them with their hands on their own armaments.

In the center of the classroom, a female student with rabbit ears had her hands raised in surrender. A large scorch mark and broken glass littered the area around her. Arthur sighed and motioned for everyone to lower their weapons.

"Sorry about that. We heard the noise and thought something was wrong."

"No, I'm sorry for startling you. I was trying to mix some Dust together, and I got the measurements wrong, so it just went off on its own." The student lightly tapped herself on the head. "I didn't introduce myself. Velvet Scarlatina. I don't think I've seen any of you before, though. Are you from one of the other schools? Am I rambling? I'm sorry, I talk a lot when I'm nervous and-" She stopped when Arthur politely held up a hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Velvet. I'm Arthur, and this is my team." The other three members stepped forward to introduce themselves.

"Nathan Argus." The male towered over his three teammates. He wore a dark gray set of plate mail and had his battleaxe slung over his back. Velvet noted he had rough features, dark brown skin, and black hair and eyes. Staring at the latter too long felt like looking into a void.

"Miko." One of the girls spoke up. She had long silver hair, piercing green eyes, and a slight build. Velvet felt like Miko was analyzing her.

"I'm Anika. Nice to meet you Velvet." The EDC soldier held out a hand, which the Faunus girl cautiously shook. Velvet sighed, at least Anika wasn't as scary as the other two. The sniper had shoulder-length black hair, hazel eyes, and freckled skin. "And to answer your question, no, we're not from another school. We were all late applicants that the Headmaster let in."

"Oh? What's your team name? I'm part of team CFVY, as in 'coffee'." Anika looked to Arthur, what had Ozpin called them, again?

"We were assigned the name team ARGO, as in 'argon'." Arthur replied.

"I see." Velvet nodded. "Well, um- I guess I'll see you all around...I have to clean this up." Anika tossed a glance towards the Guardians, Arthur nodded and the other two just shrugged.

"Why don't we give you a hand with that? Think of it as an apology for scaring you."

"That'd be nice. Thank you."

* * *

Winter strolled through the streets of Vale into the upper district. Knowing Weiss, she was already at the location their father had provided. The "Alten Herrenhaus", or Grand Mansion, was a high-class establishment that Calder had taken his daughters to several times before his wife had died. Thinking about her mother dampened Winter's spirit. She walked up the marble steps of her destination, two men in suits stepped in front of her.

"Identification, please." Winter handed him a small card. "Thank you, Miss Schnee. Your father is waiting." She nodded and headed through the door. The interior was lit with an orange glow and the air was thick with the smoke of expensive cigars. Winter saw the snow-white hair indicative of her family. She walked over to the table, her father sat with Weiss, a glass of wine in his hand. Winter sat herself in a chair opposite her father.

"Winter. Good of you to join us." Calder said, not turning to look as his older daughter seated herself.

"Father. Weiss." The younger Schnee sister did not return her sibling's greeting.

"Weiss has been performing admirably at Beacon." He drained the last of his glass. "However, it is my understanding that you are being outperformed by several of your classmates."

"Father, I-" Weiss began.

"As the heiress of our family, you understand that perfection is required in anything you do. Do not disappoint me again."

"Yes...Father..."

"If you are unable to perform to the required level, I will withdraw you from the academy, is that understood."

"Yes." Weiss threw Winter a look that screamed "this is your fault".

The rest of their time together was almost silent, none of the Schnee family exchanged stories or words beyond what was deemed necessary. As they sat and ate, Winter found herself wishing that she had declined to come. Her father had granted her the "honor" of uttering no more than a few sentences to her since she had arrived, most of them being thinly veiled attacks on her worth. Weiss, being the heiress now, did exchange some words with their father, but mostly on matters pertaining to the company. Winter just stared at the wall silently, wondering what Charles was up to.

* * *

Her father ended the meeting by stating he had other matters to attend to, and promptly strode out the door. Winter and Weiss dutifully watched his car pull away and cruise down the road. The older sister turned to the younger.

"Weiss, can we talk?"

"I'd rather not, but you're going to anyway, right?" The heiress replied sharply.

"I...want to explain what happened. Why Father made you the heiress."

"He already told me."

"He...what?"

"How you abandoned your duties and responsibilities."

"But- I never-"

"Are you calling Father a liar, Winter?"

"I-"

"I don't want to hear whatever excuse you have. I'm more inclined to believe Father anyway, since you had no problem running off with a complete stranger!"

"Weiss-"

"Stop. Talking." The younger sibling hissed.

"Just let Winter finish her sentence." A third voice made itself known out of the blue. The sisters turned to find Charles standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in a surprisingly nice black suit, nothing like he normally wore. Where had he-

"Mr. Blackwill? How long have you been here?" Winter asked, surprised.

"Since before both of you." He replied matter-of-factly. "I figured this'd be one of my few chances to try to get the two of you to talk to each other."

"You don't have any business meddling in our personal affairs." Weiss hissed.

"Well, if your dad ain't going to help you both, I will." Charles did not flinch under the heiress' withering glare. "Now let your sister tell you her side of the story." Weiss' mouth clamped shut. "Good. Winter, do your thing."

* * *

Winter recounted the events leading up to her loss of her heiress title. How she had discovered the Schnee Dust Company was not only exploiting Faunus for cheap labor, but simply not paying some of them for their work. As she followed the trail, she found that it went much deeper. The SDT was involved with more than a few...questionable partners. She had found evidence of corporate espionage, sabotage, and even some heavily redacted files from the Atlas military. Then the shock of one final piece of paper had been discovered, one file granting Calder Schnee immunity from any association from these crimes, signed by a member of the Atlas council.

When Winter had taken the papers and dumped them on her father's desk, she had demanded to know whether the Schnees had been reduced to mere thieves and murderers. She had slung harsher words in that office than she had in her entire life. At the end of her rant, Calder had simply informed her that there would be consequences for her actions, and had ordered a pair of guards to escort her out. She saw him remove the document granting him immunity from the pile she had thrown at him, and toss the rest in a fireplace.

Weiss stood quietly and listened. What Winter was saying would sound crazy to anyone, yet Weiss couldn't bring herself to completely disregard everything stated as untrue. She knew their father would have no problems stooping to such lows. He was not the great businessman and pioneer the company's founder had been. Weiss took a deep breath as a sudden feeling of regret washed over her.

"..Winter...I- I'm sorry. I believe I may have misjudged you..."

"Do I get my sister back?" Winter asked.

"What?"

"If I get to have my sister back, then I don't need an apology." The older sister opened her arms like she had when she had arrived at Beacon. Weiss didn't skip a heartbeat, closing the distance to her sister and hugging her tightly. Winter embraced the younger girl in an equally constricting fashion. "I missed you, Weiss..."

"I missed you too..." Charles smiled to himself as he watched the two siblings hold each other. Weiss broke from the embrace, trying to quickly regain her composure.

"Winter...would you and Mr. Blackwill like to stay at Beacon? I'm sure I could ask the headmaster to arrange something..."

"Only if you want us to."

"Yes. I think I'd like that."

* * *

Charles waved to the two girls. He had sent them ahead to gather Winter's belongings from the hotel. They had asked him to come with them, but he had declined, saying that he had something to take care of. That, and he wanted to give the sisters as much time as possible to catch up.

Once the two siblings were out of sight, Charles ducked into an alleyway, where an unconscious man lay stripped of his clothes apart from his undergarments. Charles quickly changed back into his own normal garb, and tossed the "borrowed" articles on top of their owner.

"Sorry, my friend. I hope you didn't have something important to do today..." Charles rubbed the back of his head. He hadn't done anything like this since he was a teenager. "Now for the next order of business." Charles activated his ability, signature violet flaming wings erupting from his back. He soared into the sky, taking out a scroll when he had reached a high enough altitude to not be noticed. The device showed a small blip moving on a map.

Charles felt a little guilty about reading Winter's mail, but after watching how her father treated both his children, he felt it was worth it. He kept the device out and followed the small beeping circle. Eventually, he spotted his target, a black limo-like vehicle cruising down an empty road. Charles concentrated on the car, using his kinetic ability to lift the automobile and guide it into an alleyway. Then he flipped it over onto its hood for good measure. Charles watched four men, including Calder, exit the vehicle.

 _Alright old folks, time to put on a show._ He thought.

 _I am unsure whether this is a proper use of our power._ The usual voice of the old man spoke up in his head.

 _Don't be that way, Pops. What's the point of having the power to command fear if you don't strike any terror into the hearts of men?_

 _...Very well..._ Charles let a sensation of burning pass over his whole body, letting it take on the nightmarish visage he had adopted the night the Schnee estate in Atlas had been attacked. He closed his wings and allowed himself to fall to the ground, creating a small crater in the cement. "Afternoon, gentlemen."

Calder's bodyguards raised their handguns at him. Charles spoke with a voice that sounded like many overlapped all at once, "My business is with your boss. I won't kill any of you, but I'm not afraid to break some bones." The men tightened their formation in front of their employer. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Charles idly flashed forward, elbowing one of the guards in the side of his head and sending the man into an intimate relationship with the all of the alley. The other two guards found themselves lifted into the air by their collars before having their heads smashed together. They were dropped unceremoniously to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Now, _Calder_ , you already know who I am." Charles said with as much venom as he could muster. "I'd like to talk to you about your children."

"What do you want?" The CEO took a step back and tripped over the two collapsed guards. He scrambled away from Charles while on his rear. "Is it money? Is that what you want, you monster?"

"No. I'm here to deliver an ultimatum. You're going to let those girls who are unfortunate enough to be your daughters live their lives as they wish, understand? Weiss gets to be a huntress, and you give Winter the freedom to choose her own path."

"But- I- the company-" Charles flared the flames on his body. "Alright! I'll leave them be! Just don't kill me!"

"I was never going to kill you in the first place, but consider this next bit a warning. You do anything to turn hurt those girls or turn them against each other again, and there's nowhere your _money_ is going to save you, got it?" Calder nodded rapidly. "Good. Now you have yourself a nice evening." The patriarch of the Schnee family watched the flaming man take off into the sky.

* * *

 _Well, wasn't that fun, Pops?_

 _Your definition of 'fun' puzzles more than just me, Charles._

 _I just realized you're being more personable now, what's up with that?_ The voice of the old man paused as Charles' inquiry.

 _You'll have to find that out on your own._

 _And now we're back to being cryptic. Thanks, sorry I asked._

* * *

Winter and Weiss jumped as messages came in on both their scrolls. The two had been in the middle of packing Winter's belongings, since Weiss had gotten approval for Winter and Charles to stay at Beacon. They hesitantly pulled out the devices, reading the message.

 _To my daughters,_

 _After careful consideration and the advice of a certain individual, I have decided to allow you both more freedom in your futures. Weiss will be free to attend Beacon as she wishes. Winter will be allowed to find her own way in the world. The title of heiress will be assigned to whomever wishes to take over the company once I am gone._

 _Calder Schnee._

The two sisters looked at each other. It was certainly a message from their father, but what could have made him change-

"Mr. Blackwill." Winter said alound.

"What about him?" Weiss asked.

"He must have...confronted...Father. That was his task he needed to handle."

"What kind of person would go to such lengths for people they barely know?"

"A parent." Winter smiled.

* * *

 **A/N: Calder's karma finally caught up with him. Will he stop being an ass? Probably not.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Arukune: Thank you.**

 **Dimas15: Ruby will be alright with some guidance and good friends by her side.**

 **Rebmul: Dammit, you made me think of Optimus Prime with Ruby's voice, and now I can't stop laughing.**

 **HeroBladeRiyet: This story is being updated daily right now. Hopefully, I will be able to maintain this pattern.**

 **Guest: Thanks for joining the growing group following this story!**


	27. Chapter 26

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 26

Anika sat with the Guardians in the cafeteria. She sighed to herself. While most of the students in the building chatted happily with their teams, "team ARGO" barely exchanged glances. The only one of her partners she had spoken at length with was Arthur. Nathan and Miko weren't exactly social, Anika had maybe exchanged a few sentences with each of them.

Arthur was similarly concerned with their team's current state. Being a group of mostly silent people huddled at an isolated corner of a table made them stand out, which was the last thing they wanted at the moment.

"If we're going to work together, we can't just look like a team, we have to be one." The blond Guardian whispered.

"I'm aware. What do you suggest?" Anika nodded.

"Just speaking to each other would be a good start."

"...No point...talking is unnecessary..." Miko said quietly.

"Arthur may be right, Miko." Nathan spoke up. "We should at least be able to cooperate effectively." The female Guardian shrugged.

"The main issue," Arthur stated, "is that we've gained a new teammate." He looked at Anika. "While we worked with you and your comrades before, we don't know all that much about you."

The sniper sighed, "There's really not much to tell. I grew up hunting with my parents, sister, and brother. My siblings and I all had enough skill behind a rifle that we figured we'd join the military together. Those plans fell through though, Mum got sick and passed away, so my brother stayed home. My sister changed her mind and went to study medicine. I was the only one who enlisted."

Arthur nodded, then whispered his own story, "My family lived in a small city in France for my whole life. My mother and father ran a small corner store. One of my grandfathers had been killed for being an Aura, so my parents always told me to keep my powers a secret. Keeping my control over light hidden was easy, but when I discovered I could heal myself and others...well, I knew it could be used to help people. When the war came to my home, I used my ability to save people caught in the crossfire. Apparently, one of the Guardian teams at the time had been watching me, and they asked me to join them not too long after that." Anika and Arthur looked expectantly to the other two members of their team.

Miko's mouth remained firmly shut, but Nathan gave in. "Miko and I have known each other since we were kids. We grew up in the same orphanage together. I never knew my parents, she never knew hers. Other kids used to pick fights with Miko because she was smaller. I was one of the older kids in the orphanage at the time, so I kept an eye out for her. She just started staying near me, and we just became friends. Guardian team Beta picked us up after the Order tore down the city the orphanage was in." Miko nodded, affirming the story. An awkward silence hung between all of them.

"So..." Anika started, "I guess we're friends now?" She put a hand palm-down in the middle of the table.

"Of course." Arthur covered her hand with his own.

"...Friends..." Miko's hand joined the stack.

"It is an honor." Nathan placed his hand onto the others.

"Then let's go find ourselves a spy, shall we?" Arthur broke into a radiant grin.

* * *

"You sure this'll work, Arthur?" Anika whispered into her scroll as she peered around the corner to watch the door outside of a dorm room.

"It should." Arthur replied, hidden at the opposite end of the hallway.

The plan was fairly simple. They had asked Ryland to analyze the listening devices for them, and had excluded certain locations from being bugged, the cafeteria being one of them. The noise in that building would have rendered the device useless, so it was safe to formulate the plan there.

The four of them doubted that whoever had placed the microphones around the school wouldn't bother to check them every day, since it was too risky. But, they were fairly sure that they would attract somebody's attention if one of the devices suddenly came back online.

"...Three contacts...scattered...but heading towards you..." Miko reported over the scroll. She was seated in a tree on the campus lawn, keeping watch.

In a few moments, three individuals in hooded jackets entered the building. The hoods were pulled low enough so that no one could make out the wearer's full face. Two of the figures, clearly girls, leaned against the wall to act as lookouts. The third, a boy, crouched by the door, feeling around the frame. Sure enough, he removed the listening device. Arthur tensed in his hiding place, reaching slowly for his staff, which made an unsuspected metallic clang as he removed it from his belt. Arthur mentally cursed himself.

One of the lookout's heads suddenly jerked up at the small noise, and she pulled a small ball from her jacket. She spun around to her associates, whispering in an urgent tone. Arthur quickly made note of a glimpse of tanned skin and green hair. The lookout smashed the ball into the ground, which exploded into a thick cloud of smoke.

Arthur and Anika both sprung into action, moving from their hiding places and into the hallway. The smoke slowly cleared, revealing an empty hallway.

"...I have lost visual on the targets..." Miko reported.

"Slippery bastards, aren't they?" Nathan chimed in.

"Well, we have more than we started with. I got a quick look at one of them." Arthur notified them. "Let's regroup for now."

* * *

Cinder slammed the door of the room she and her "friends" we sharing.

"Somebody was watching. How inept are you to not notice that?" She demanded.

"Well, its not like whoever it was saw our faces...right?" The gray-haired male of their group, Mercury, said casually.

"That's not the problem. Now that we know somebody is watching us, we have to be even more cautious and calculated in our actions. And that means delays." The black-haired woman hissed and her eyes flashed a bright orange. "We're already behind schedule as it is!" She continued, referring to the recent reports that Roman had been arrested. "I expect you two to work twice as hard to make up for this."

"...Crap..." Mercury muttered.

* * *

Pyrrha didn't often find herself in a foul mood, but she had reached her limit. Jaune had disappeared _again_. As with the previous few days, he had woken up before any of them and headed out to do whatever it was he was doing.

The lack of information was driving her insane at a steady pace, causing her mind to begin making all sorts of assumptions. Was Jaune tired of his team? Did he hate them? Her? Pyrrha rest her head on her arms. Nora pat her on the head from across the table they were resting at.

"Aw, cheer up, Pyrrha! I'm sure Jaune knows what he's doing."

"He doesn't! That's why I'm worried!" Pyrrha shrieked louder than she intended and jolted back into a sitting position. Nora's trademark grin didn't fade, but she still rose her hands defensively. The spartan girl's head smacked against her forearm again.

"Nora, she's right. Jaune's just vanished without telling us anything. It's natural for her to be worried." Ren cut in.

"Why don't you just follow him? Find out where he's been going?" Nora suggested.

"I-" Pyrrha stopped. "That's actually a good idea."

* * *

Pyrrha stood behind a tree, watching the entrance of the cafeteria. It was close to dinner, so most of the school was inside the building. With any luck, she'd be able to spot and follow Jaune.

 _I am NOT stalking him. I'm just concerned._ She reminded herself. She watched the door carefully, observing every person that exited the cafeteria. After standing awkwardly in the courtyard, Pyrrha finally caught sight of who she was looking for. Jaune exited the building, accompanied by...Ruby. Pyrrha's mind immediately lit up with a multitude of assumptions.

 _Why are they together!? Are they dating!? Is Jaune into younger girls?!_ The thoughts went on and on. Pyrrha shook her head to clear her thoughts and tailed the pair from a good distance. They walked into an empty section of the academy, sending up even more red flags in Pyrrha's head. Her brain was practically screaming at her now. Jaune and Ruby turned into a room with a sliding metal door. Pyrrha closed the distance and pressed her ear against the wall. She could her the two of them talking and some muffled giggling and laughing.

Pyrrha's heart fell, and she pushed herself away from the wall. She solemnly began to walk down the hall, away from the room. The door opened suddenly, causing Pyrrha to jump.

"You're Pyrrha Nikos, right?" She turned around, that wasn't Jaune's voice, and it certainly wasn't Ruby's. She was greeted with the sight of a young man with blond hair and blue eyes.

"You're...that security guard...Alex Greene, I think?"

"That's correct-" Jaune's head appeared next to Alex in the doorframe.

"Oh, hey, Pyrrha!"

"Hello, Jaune. I was just leaving." She turned her back to him.

"You don't want to join in?"

"What?" Pyrrha's feelings of jealousy and abandonment were suddenly replaced with utter confusion. Alex seemed to pick up on her befuddlement.

"I've been helping Ruby and Jaune train in marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat." The soldier explained.

"So-" Pyrrha looked to Jaune, "-so you aren't avoiding m- I mean us? Your team?"

"Is that what you thought?" Jaune asked. "I'm so sorry- I didn't- I just wanted it to be a surprise at the tournament...Sorry, Pyr." His head fell a bit.

"I'm...uh...sorry for assuming...things..." Pyrrha replied, her face rapidly turning pink. "Is...that offer to join you still open?" Her cheeks became a deep red to match Ruby's cloak as Jaune grabbed her hand and led her into the room.

"Of course!" her partner exclaimed.

* * *

Vortex scrutinized the report displayed on the holographic display in front of him. A severe issue had been brought to his attention, namely his forces lack of supplies. Under normal circumstances, he would have simply conducted a raid, but his forces were too small in number to engage in any such operation. So, he would have to remedy the situation some other way.

"Erwin!" Vortex called for the fox-eared boy, who promptly came running into the room.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"As I'm sure you've noticed, our supply of food and water has been dwindling, yes?"

"Yes." Erwin nodded.

"You wouldn't happen to know of any way that we could replenish them?"

"Well..." Erwin thought for a moment. "There's this man named...Roman Torchwick..."

"And where would find this man?"

* * *

 **A/N: Shorter chapter today. Sorry bout that.**

* * *

 **Review Replies: Holy hell, seven of you!**

 **Stevealio: I tried to keep in line with the Schnees' "cold"-themed names. Calder literally refers to a cold stream or creek.**

 **Rebmul: I would pay to see that.**

 **Arukune: I'm glad to hear that!**

 **HeroBladeRiyet: Thanks!**

 **Skaana: Thanks for checking in.**

 **Dimas15: Not a problem, review whenever you're able.**

 **NotPaulyD: Thanks for writing another review!**


	28. Chapter 27

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 27

Roman Torchwick sat on a meager cot, staring blankly at the ceiling of his cell. After the breach in Vale, the Atlas military had captured him and locked him in an empty high-security section of the local prison. Roman sighed and leaned against the wall. The soldiers had taken his scroll, his cane, and even his hat. But worst of all, they'd taken his cigars. Now, he was stuck twiddling his thumbs just like the four men standing guard outside his cell. He idly looked at a clock on the wall. Two in the morning...

"Anyone got a pack of cards or something?" The criminal asked hopefully.

"Shut up, Torchwick."

 _That'd be a 'no'._ Roman slumped back onto the wall. Suddenly, the lights in the building cut out, plunging the five occupants into darkness. Roman shot up and pressed his face to the glass wall of his cell, trying to see what was happening. Had Cinder come to get him out?

"Where the hell are the backup generators?" Roman could hear the guards shouting to each other.

"I don't- wait, did you hear that?"

"No."

"Listen! There it is again." Roman strained his ears to try and pick sound out from the blackness surrounding him. Then he heard it, the sound of sharp metal being dragged across the floor.

"Something's in here!"

"Keep your eyes open! There are four of-AAHH!" Roman watched a ball of flame spring to life in the darkness, briefly illuminating the figures of a guard and a large male in pitch-black armor. The guard was struck with the flaming sphere, which Roman assumed was part of the man's weapon. Roman watched the flame flicker out of existence, returning the room to blackness.

"Regroup!"

"Contact! My posi-" The flame flared to life again, long enough for Roman to see another guard's body crumple to the floor. The flame died and reappeared to strike the third guard, leaving only one. There was the sound of a brief struggle, a single gunshot, and then silence. Roman stared into the darkness, unable to make out anything beyond a few feet outside the cell. He ducked as a fast moving object came hurtling through the glass of his cell.

Roman cautiously stood, casting a wary glance at the body of the final guard, which had been thrown with enough force to break the reinforced glass that had kept him imprisoned.

"So...who do I have to thank for my rescue? You work for Cinder?" The sound of heavy footsteps approached him. A figure in dark armor, wielding a mace stepped into his field of vision. _Definitely not Cinder._

"No. I am Solaris. You have been freed on the whim of my Lord." The black-armored man explained.

"Oh, well-"

"There is no further time to waste with talk." Roman felt a bundle of objects roughly shoved into his hands. "I have gathered your belongings. Now follow me." Roman decided it probably wasn't a wise idea to argue with his rescuer. He followed Solaris through the dark halls of the prison. The building was suddenly filled with a red light as the backup generators finally switched on.

As they walked past the lower-security cells, many prisoners called out to them.

"Yo, Roman! Let us out of here!"

"Torchwick! Take us with you!"

Roman tapped Solaris, "Actually, I had a thought. I'm a bit short on manpower at the moment, so I could use some of these guys. If nothing else, they'll serve as a distraction as we make our getaway." He turned to the cells and yelled. "That sound good to all of you?" There was an uproar of affirmation.

"...This had better be worth it." Solaris moved to a control panel and flipped a switch marked "release". The cell doors swung open, unleashing countless prisoners. Some ran out of the cell block immediately, but most crowded in front of the pair that had freed them.

"Alright, boys. Now that you work for me, let me give you your first job. Grab as much gear as you can, then snatch a vehicle and use it to escape. Once you're clear, I will contact you and give you a location to rendezvous at. You all got that?" The crowd nodded. "Great, then let's be off, shall we?" The prisoners roared in approval and flooded out of the building.

"..You certainly know how to rile up a crowd." Solaris commented.

"It's a talent."

* * *

Roman had been roughly guided into a waiting transport, which had taken off along with an additional several dozen vehicles piloted by the escaped convicts. The sounds of fighting and chaos echoed as their aircraft disappeared into the night.

"Well, that went smoothly."

"..Do you ever stop talking?" Solaris grumbled. Torchwick was beginning to wear on his patience.

"Just trying to make casual conversation." Roman shrugged.

"Just enjoy the ride and stay quiet." The thief leaned back calmly in a seat, and lit one of his cigars.

* * *

"This way." Solaris nudged the criminal with his foot. Roman followed the man in black armor off the transport and through a series of dimly lit hallways, coming to a stop in front of a door. "He's waiting."

Roman pushed his way through the door, greeted with the sight of another man in black armor, though this one was less bulky and carried himself with a significant amount of confidence.

"You are Roman Torchwick, yes?" The man did not turn to face Roman, he only stared at a display in front of him.

"Yes, that would be me."

"I am Vortex, Lord of the Order. I require someone of your...expertise to supply my forces with necessities.

"Forces? Are you guys with the White Fang? Because I think that contract fell apart."

"We are not as weak as the meager rebels you refer to."

"That doesn't really- never mind. What is it you need?"

"We require food, water, and a new location to run our operations." Roman scratched his head at the list.

"That's a steep order. How do you expect to pay for-" The thief clutched at his throat as the air around him suddenly became thin. He gasped for breath. Vortex turned to the criminal.

"I assume your life and the promise of riches will suffice." Roman nodded, and the Lord allowed the air to return to its normal state.

"Yeah...okay...I'll get my new guys right on it...As for a place to set up shop, there's...an old safehouse of mine...out in the wilds. The area's got a lot of Grimm, but that's what made it safe for my..uses."

"Excellent. That will do nicely." Vortex smiled underneath his helmet. "One last matter remains then."

"And that is...?"

"Can you provide us with the location of any White Fang bases?"

"The White Fang? Why do you want to know where they're hiding out?"

"While they pose no threat, they might prove to be an annoyance. One I would rather not deal with." Vortex explained. "And I'm sure you'd enjoy a little revenge on your former employers for leaving you to rot in a prison cell."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Roman smirked and took out a notepad from his belongings, then hastily scribbled some coordinates on it. He placed the paper on the table between himself and the Lord. "Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Just make sure you kill those back-stabbing animals slowly."

* * *

The escaped convicts awaited Roman outside the building, their stolen vehicles and supplies arrayed behind them.

"Well, boys. I've already got us a contract. Our new employer wants basic things: food, water, and so on. The best part is, we don't even have to do any fighting. The Boss has provided us with these fine gentlemen and women.." Roman gestured to a handful of Order soldiers behind him, including Solaris. "..to clear areas out for us. We just have to pack up any supplies he wants and bring them back. And we're free to sell and use anything he doesn't want." There were nods of approval from the convicts. One man raised a hand.

"Where are we goin' to get all this?"

"I'm glad you asked. You see, our employer seems to be a fan of the saying 'two birds with one stone'. Our friends here will be raiding a White Fang compound, killing the miscreants inside, and leaving us to safely do the heavy lifting. Minimal risk, high payout. Sound good?" More cries of affirmation. "Great. Then get some rest, boys, we leave early tomorrow."

* * *

 **A/N: Another really short chapter. Sorry bout that.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Stevealio: No Dimitri for a little bit, sorry. It's buildup time.**

 **Dimas15: If you remember from Volume 2 of RWBY, and as I believe I mentioned in an earlier chapter, Cinder and her team slip into Beacon in the guise of students from Haven, one of the visiting schools. As for combat, now that the Order and White Fang will be at each others' throats, there will be less of them "on-screen" for a bit. I'm also planning on not covering the fighting in the tournament, since yes, people would probably get bored of chapters of RWBY and JNPR fighting non-stop. Long reply, I'm sorry.**

 **Skaana: You called it. Also, I figured that people wouldn't review every single chapter. Though, I thank you for taking the time to do so.**


	29. Chapter 28

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 28

Alex watched as Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha fired their weapons at the simulated Grimm targets he had set up. With only one week remaining until the tournament, Alex had been meeting with the three students almost every day to help them polish their fighting skills. The soldier had benefited from spending time with them as well, having improved his own skill with a blade thanks to Pyrrha. Well, she had a reputation for a reason.

In terms of skill, Jaune was still the weakest out of the three students training with him. Alex would say that Jaune's ability with firearms sat in the upper thirty percent or so of his peers. In melee, the blond knight was riding slightly under the average, though Alex had to admit he had improved noticeably within the week they had spent working together.

Ruby was tied for top with her two friends. She had a natural inclination for combat, firearms in particular, taking to Alex's pointers far faster than Jaune or Pyrrha. However, she had a tendency to strike before thinking things all the way through which often left her vulnerable. However, Alex reminded himself, Ruby wasn't training with them in order to improve her own skills. Thankfully, her mood seemed to have brightened over the last week, though Alex still worried she might be dwelling on killing. If she was, she was doing a good job of hiding it.

Then there was Pyrrha. Alex hadn't talked to the girl until she had followed Jaune to training earlier. But, since she had joined them, Alex had come to realize she was the poster-child for natural advantages. She had both physical prowess and intelligence. However, one thing seemed to hold her back during their training sessions. Pyrrha, for all her ability, had trouble thinking outside the confines of a fairly narrow combat style. She was dependent on using her semblance to alter the odds of a fight in her favor, which became ineffective if an opponent figured out what she was doing. She had actually lost to Alex in a spar when she had tried to use her magnetic ability to manipulate his weapons and armor, not realizing the Polymetal titanium-alloy was not a metal she could easily affect.

The cacophony of gunfire stopped, leaving the three targets riddled with holes. Alex inspected the accuracy.

"Jaune, you're up to around seventy to eighty percent of your shots being kills, not bad. Pyrrha, looks like...ninety...ninety-five percent, excellent as usual. And Ruby..." Alex came to the last target, which looked more like a tank shell had been fired through the target's head. "It's hard to tell since the head's nearly _gone_ , but I'd say it's almost perfect. Good work, all of you." The students grinned and placed their weapon on the room's sole table. Alex honestly wasn't sure why they'd kept meeting in the testing room, maybe it had become some sort of unspoken tradition at this point. "So, any questions? Or comments for each other?"

"Jaune, you looked like you were having a little trouble at the end." Ruby spoke up helpfully.

"Yeah," The boy scratched his head, "I tried out firing the gun on automatic, and it started getting away from me. I heard something rattling around when I was doing it."

"Hmm," Ruby put a hand to her chin thoughtfully, "Could be a loose compensator. Let's open it up and take a look." The two of them went to work on Jaune's customized sub-machine gun, popping off the side of the weapon to investigate its internal components. Ruby immediately plucked a free-roaming piece from inside the gun. "Yup, I was right. Guess we didn't screw it down correctly." A quick use of a screwdriver later, Jaune's reassembled firearm was handed back to him.

"Let's see if that helps." Jaune moved back to a firing position and aimed at the targets. He quickly remembered to check the gun's ammunition, removing the magazine from the weapon and doing a quick count. Alex had, of course, forbidden the use of live rounds within the training room. Instead, they had been using hardened rubber bullets, which still hurt like hell, but they wouldn't severely injure anyone. Jaune flipped the safety on the SMG to the "full-auto" setting etched into the gun. He held down the trigger, letting the weapon spew its remaining twenty bullets into the target. Jaune stood up. "Yeah, that's way better. Thanks, Ruby."

"No problem."

Alex checked his scroll as it let out a ring, alerting him an incoming call from Luna. He pressed to answer. "Luna? What's up?"

"Hi, I know you're probably busy, but can you come meet me down by the plaza?"

"Sure, but what's wrong?"

"Nothing...I just...want to talk to you. I'll see you in a bit!" The call clicked off. Alex stared at the scroll for a moment. The best word to describe what had happened was..."odd". He turned to the students.

"Looks like I'm needed for something. Let's end early today." A trio of affirming nods and good-byes allowed Alex to walk out the sliding door of the testing room and down the hall.

* * *

Luna looked nervously around the plaza, waiting for- Alex tapped her on the shoulder. Luna jumped and let out a small shriek.

"H-hello, sir- Alex! Did you need something?"

"You called me here..." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"I- right, I did, didn't I?" Um..."

"You alright there, Luna?"

"Yes," She sighed, "It's just...we haven't really talked to each other since the breach in Vale. You haven't really talked to anyone, actually..."

"I-" Alex felt a small pit form in his stomach. He'd spent so much time with the three kids, he'd been neglecting his own team. "Yeah, you're right. I kinda left all of you on your own...I'm sorry,.."

"It's okay. You've been helping out some of the kids, right? Just leave some time for the rest of us. Starting..." Luna checked the time on her scroll. "...right now." She grabbed Alex's forearm and started pulling him back towards the school.

"Luna? Where're you- What-?"

"Just come on!" Luna dragged him through the halls until she stopped in front of the staff lounge door. She knocked on the door in a pattern-like fashion, getting a set of repeated knocks in return. She released Alex from her grip. "Alright. After you."

Alex placed his hand on the handle and pushed the door inward. A series of loud bangs echoed in front of him before he could register what was happening. The next thing he knew, he was picking confetti out of his hair. Much to the amusement of the other fourteen people in the room, who all chuckled at Alex's situation. Dimitri stepped out to the front of the assembled individuals.

"Happy thirtieth, Boss." The Russian clapped him on the back.

"I- what?" Alex asked, still trying to process why all the members of the STRD in Remnant were in the staff lounge.

"...Did you forget your own birthday, Bossman?" Ryland called teasingly from the back of the room. "Anika says 'hi', by the way. She couldn't make it."

"I decline to answer that question." Alex said as the date sunk in. Back on Earth, it would be the ninth of April.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time." Dimitri pointed out. He had a point, Alex had forgotten his birthday more than once back home, often due to being engrossed in work. "Come along, Boss. Have some fun."

* * *

After spending a good bit of time time greeting and speaking to his friends from First Infantry, Alex took an opportunity to slip away for some fresh air on a balcony. His departure clearly did not go unnoticed, since Dimitri joined him moments after he had left.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?" The Russian asked.

"Yeah." Alex sighed and stared out at the horizon. "Hey...sorry for going dark on you guys for the last week..."

"It's not a problem. We've all made new friends here."

"We're lucky to have met them."

"Yes. Yes we are." Dimitri chuckled. "Who'd have thought that we'd go from soldiers to security guards?"

"Well, I would have to say it's a more pleasant occupation." Alex shrugged, causing Dimitri to laugh openly. "How long have we been here now, anyway?"

"A little under three months."

"Really?...Time really flew..."

"It did." Dimitri's face took on a more serious appearance. "Even with the Order and White Fang out there...this world seems more..."

"Peaceful?"

"Something like that." The Russian paused again, "Boss, have you thought about going back?"

"A few times, how about you?"

"When we first arrived, it was all I really thought about. But after meeting Firo, Blake, and the others..."

"Now you're not so sure you want to go back?"

"Yes."

"You're not alone on that sentiment. Even though it's home...it's hard to _want_ to go back to all that, isn't it?..."

"Given the choice, would you?"

"Honestly, D? I don't know what I would choose."

* * *

The small gathering eventually wound down. The EDC-turned-security went their separate ways. Dimitri and Firo excused themselves to go clean the staff lounge, Carbon was dragged off by Ryland for some purpose, and the other ex-STRD members returned to their posts. Alex and Luna found themselves alone with each other in the hallway.

"So...um..." Luna began, "Can I _actually_ talk to you about something? In private?"

"Of course. I kinda owe it to you." Alex nodded. Luna led him to the staff quarters section of the academy, guiding him past his own door and stopping in front of one several rooms further down the hall.

 _Wait. Is this-_

Luna's face had turned a noticeable red hue.

"My room was the only place that came to mind..." She whispered in an embarrassed tone. She unlocked the door with her scroll and pushed it open. The first thing that struck Alex as he was ushered in was how... _blue_...everything in Luna's room was.

Luna pulled a chair out from under the sole desk in her room for Alex, then placed herself on the edge of her bed.

"I've been...want to talk about this for a while..." She took a deep breath. "About what happened when you were injured...and...what I saw...in your head..."

"You want to know about the memories?" Alex's posture had stiffened.

She looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry. It must sound really selfish of me to ask this...but I need to know..."

"You _need_ to know?"

"Yes. Ever since I saw your memories, I've...been having nightmares... I see those... _things_...killing..." Alex saw Luna's whole body shudder. "How do you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you stay calm knowing that you could die at any moment? How do you ignore the pain?"

"Luna..." Alex offered her one of his hands, which she gently took. "Truth is, I'm not calm. I'm not some sort of superhuman that _can_ brush off the things I've seen. I deal with my problems by distracting myself with work. Not exactly a recipe for a healthy lifestyle."

"So you...know the danger is there...but choose to ignore it?"

"It's easier when you have friends by your side." Alex placed his other hand on Luna's shoulder. The woman took a shaky breath.

"Are we...friends?"

"Did you think we weren't?"

"I-...Thank you, Alex..." A silence hung between them for several moments, before Luna spoke up again, "Can you tell me...more...about you?"

"All you had to do was ask."

"Well," Luna started, "if you're telling your story, I suppose it's only fair that I share mine as well."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Luna collected her thoughts, "I was born in a rural area in Atlas. My parents run a farm out there with my brothers, I have four of them. I always felt like I held all of them back...I could barely lift anything, I didn't have a head for numbers, or anything really. At first, I wanted to be a Huntress, but I couldn't make the cut. So, I joined the Atlas military, scraped by basic training, and then got put on guard duty in an inner city. Then, I got reassigned to Sergeant Carbon's squad...and you know the rest..."

"Luna, there's more to being strong than just being able to lift something heavy or being smart. You have more heart than any other soldier I knew back home. You drained your aura for a week to keep me alive, even though you hadn't even known me for half a day. That takes its own kind of strength." Luna gave him a small smile.

"Thank you. That means...more than you think."

"Alright. I agreed to tell my story..." Alex closed his eyes for a moment, taking a long, deep breathe before starting. "I was born in a place called New York. My parents owned this small, two story house on the outskirts of this huge city. Both my parents were military engineers, just like how all of my grandparents were. The fact I was going to enlist at some point was kind of a given. They weren't around all that much, but they made sure my brother, Mikey, and I were taken care of. The two of us got used to the pattern after a while...Mom and Dad leave for a couple of months, come back, and spend a few weeks with us. Then they just...didn't come home one day. Mikey and I didn't understand what they had been doing, that they'd been helping fight the beginnings of the Order. I was fifteen at the time, Mikey was twelve. I waited three years and immediately enlisted along with a few other guys from my area. I dragged myself through basic training, ended up joining the EDC Two-Thirteenth Engineering platoon. Saw my first Shades near the end of my second week...watched a pack of them overwhelm a recon team. After that, it just started becoming another pattern...We'd push the Order back, they'd retake their ground plus interest, we'd lose more lives, Command would send down replacements, repeat." Alex stopped. Luna took Alex's hand with both of her own.

"Then...the call came in that- that the Order'd attacked New York while I was on deployment halfway around the world. The two-thirteenth got called in for defense along with nine other platoons. We actually managed to keep the ground we retook, but when I went to check the house-" Luna saw twin drops of water from his eyes. She remembered the memory she had seen. The smoldering ruin of what used to be the house, Alex yelling for his brother. "I never found him. I failed him. I might as well have _killed_ him..." The soldier no longer held back any tears. Luna rose from the bed and wrapped her arms around Alex.

"It's not your fault."

"I don't know. Even if it isn't...it still feels like Mikey's blood is on my hands... The worst part is that Command promoted me three times before I came to Remnant. And every time, it felt like I was getting rewarded for letting people die..."

"Alex?" Luna released him from her smothering embrace, "I'd like to make a promise to you." He raised his head to let her know she had his attention. "I may not have known you for very long, but you're already the greatest person I've met. I'd like to promise you that I'll watch your back, no matter what." She hugged him again.

"...Thank you, Luna..."

* * *

 **A/N: Ta-da! Longer chapter! Sorta bittersweet overall, I think.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Dimas15: Yes, he is.**

 **Rebmul: The main problem I see with Cinder working with anyone, is that her character is manipulative. She might call a temporary truce, but only if it is to her own benefit.**

 **Skaana: Good to hear. I had to go back and re-watch several episodes of the show to try and get his "voice" right.**


	30. Chapter 29

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 29

The afternoon following the small celebration, Dimitri found himself dwelling on his conversation with his friend from the balcony. If he was given an opportunity to get back to Earth, to go home, would he do it? On one hand, Earth was where he had been born, it was a place he had fought to protect for over a decade. But what was back for him on Earth, anyway? Dimitri had no living relatives, and the friends he knew were alive were in Remnant with him.

On top of that, he had made a promise to himself to look after Blake and Firo, and he couldn't do that from another world. So, that settled it, right? He'd stay? The short answer was "yes", but it was certainly more complicated than that. While he would gladly take the chance to see who had survived back home, Earth was not a place he was particularly upset at being absent from.

Dimitri was shaken from his thoughts by his scroll. He checked the screen. Blake. He tapped to accept the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Averin. Sorry if I interrupted you, but I was wondering something," The girl's voice said over the device, "I figured I'd go visit my old neighborhood again today, and was curious if you would want to come. I already asked Miss Firo, and she said she'd tag along."

"Sure. Just let me get someone to cover for me, and I'll meet you both down at the landing pad."

"See you there."

* * *

Ryland and Carbon were seated in one of Beacon's testing rooms. The two of them had hit it off as friends the day before, after talking about Ryland's tendency to experiment with weapons. Carbon had expressed an interest in helping the EDC engineer test-fire anything he made, which ultimately led to them working together in a room Ryland had converted into a makeshift workshop of sorts.

Carbon was like a kid in a candy store with all the "toys" Ryland had tossed together. Then Ryland had another idea. He wouldn't tell Carbon what his plan was at first, but the older soldier got the idea when the wreckage of the sole destroyed Vanguard was dragged into the room in pieces. Ryland wanted to modify his current set of armor into an "awesome exosuit of badass-ness." Ryland's words, not his.

Carbon chatted casually as the younger man worked on the armor. He noticed something during their exchange. Ryland's voice maintained his cheerful demeanor, but his face locked into one of stern concentration. "Serious" and "Ryland" really didn't seem to go together.

"Hey, Kid, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Yeah, Gramps?" Carbon's eye twitched at the nickname, though he assumed it was only fair...

"How come you aren't more serious, like the Boss?"

"It's simple, actually." He replied, looking up with an expression Carbon had never seen on his face before. This Ryland looked completely different from the cocky, joking kid he had spent time firing weapons with. Gone was the seemingly permanent grin and the bright, inquisitive eyes, replaced by an almost dead stare. "If I spent every moment of my time being as serious as Alex or Dimitri, I'd never get work done. Plus, cracking a bad pun here and there keeps the mood of the platoon lighter, which keeps morale up."

"Wait, you mean that all the jabs and cheerfulness is a lie?"

"It's not fake, it's just a different part of me. I always acted like that when I was a kid, but that kid had no place behind a weapon. So now, I just let him out to play when I need to."

"Look, Ryland-" Carbon stopped and thought for a moment. "Never mind. I'm sorry I brought it up." Ryland's grin returned.

"Great! Now let's get back to work, Gramps." The older man couldn't help but feel that the younger soldier's upbeat tone sounded forced.

* * *

Dimitri followed Blake and Firo off the Bullhead transport, lagging slightly behind as the two talked. The two had been very helpful to each other, Firo no longer stuttered when talking to the younger girl. Aside from Dimitri, Blake was the only other person she could speak to in a completely normal fashion. Blake had improved as well, becoming more social, and generally happier. She no longer spent her hours buried in the library, instead often seeking out company in the form of either of her current companions.

Blake led the way through Vale, showing Dimitri and Firo the shortcuts she learned as a child. As they rounded the final corner, the student stopped in her tracks. The trio was greeted with a street that was deserted and quiet, even by the standards set by their previous visit. The few windows that had been glass the last time they had been here lay shattered. Doors were left hanging wide open. A single abandoned doll lay in the street.

"What happened here?"

* * *

Ryland ceased work on the exosuit, wiping sweat from his brow with his forearm. He checked the time on his scroll.

"I think that's it for today, Gramps. I've got something else I need to do."

"You got a hot date?"

"It's a secret." Ryland smirked.

"Alright, have it your way. We'll finish up the armor some other time."

"M'kay, you just let me know if you think of anything else you want added to this baby. I'll see you later." Ryland packed his tools into a hard case and turned to leave.

"Hey, Ryland?" The young soldier stopped with one foot already out the door. "You're a good kid." Carbon saw the boy turn slightly to look back.

"Nah, I'm the resident asshole." And, with that, he left.

* * *

Charles sat across from the two Schnee sisters with a board laid out between them in the Beacon library, which remained empty aside from the three of them. Weiss had adamantly requested that Charles and Winter help her improve her ability in a game simply titled "Remnant". Apparently, Ruby and Yang often had her play with them, and Weiss, having no idea what she was really doing, was utterly destroyed every time.

The game was fairly simple to understand for Charles, it operated much like the "world domination" games he had played growing up. Weiss and Winter, though, had never been given a real opportunity to learn things deemed as "unnecessary". Because of this, Charles was currently in possession of over half the board's regions.

"So, Mr. Blackwill. I never did thank you properly for helping Winter and myself come to terms with each other." the younger sister said as she continued to ponder her next move.

"It was nothing, Weiss. You and Winter did all the hard work, I just got the ball rolling."

"All the same," she answered, moving one of her game pieces and rolling the dice, "Thank you. And my warriors destroy two of your defenders." Charles removed the two tokens from the board. "...Mr. Blackwill, you're from the same world as Mr. Greene, right?"

"Yes," Charles chuckled, "why do you ask?"

"I was wondering what your life was like before you came here." Weiss answered as Winter rolled the dice for an attack of her own, resulting in Weiss losing the ground she had just taken from Charles. "Traitor." Winter playfully stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"Actually," The older sister cut in, "I've been wondering the same thing."

"Didn't I tell you about Earth on the flight to Vale?"

"You told me about your world, but you didn't say much about yourself."

"Did I not?" Charles scratched his chin with one hand and made a roll with the other. "Huh. I didn't intend to hide anything, but I guess I just glazed over my own story. I can give you the short version, if you like. Oh, and I'll be taking that region back now." Winter removed her pieces.

"I'd like that."

"I would as well." Weiss added.

"Let's see..." Charles gathered his thoughts. "I was born on Earth, but my family moved around a lot at the time, so I don't know where exactly. My mother, who was the inheritor of our family's Bloodline before me, always told me to keep my powers hidden, since people like us were feared by the general populace. Eventually, Mother, myself, and my brother, Felix, settled down in a small town out in the middle of nowhere that served as a kind of unofficial haven for Auras."

"What about your father?" Weiss asked. She wasn't paying attention to the game anymore.

"I don't remember him, but he died sometime around the time I turned two. My brother was maybe six months old." Charles shrugged. "In this town, I finally made a couple of friends with the other kids, Aiko, Marie, Lem, and Kyle. Except for Marie, we were all inheritors for different Bloodlines. We got into so much trouble as kids." The man chuckled at the memories, "The five of us were getting constantly yelled at by the adults. As we got older, though, people started going their separate ways. Only Marie and I were left after a while."

"What happened to Marie?" Winter inquired curiously, "Before you wound up here, I mean."

"I married her and had two kids with her." Charles replied, subduing a laugh at the looks that played across the two girls' faces. "Which from what Alex told me, my children have done me proud. Jerloh, my son, apparently ended up becoming a Guardian, and a rather good one. Of course, he has his sister, Alyia, watching his back, she's the brains of the two." Charles smiled to himself. "Oh boy...I'm getting old."

"Did you find out what happened to your other friends?" Winter asked, both she and Weiss had been infected by the calm grin on Charles' face.

"Well, Aiko and Kyle each had kids of their own, who both became Guardians. Lem...for all intents and purposes, is dead." Charles shook his head, the smile fading. "Wish I could've saved him, he was a good friend."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing anyone can do about it now. Don't let it bother you."

"Are the other two alright?"

"Kyle kicked it from a natural death of all things. I'm honestly not sure whether I should laugh at the fact a Reaper died from a heart attack. Eh, he'd have thought it was funny too." The Schnee sisters seemed to take a bit of solace in that. "Aiko should still be knocking heads together, Alex said she and her son made quite a frightening team."

"Frightening as in...?"

"Ripping tanks apart with their bare hands. Pretty normal for the Rage Bloodline, but still..."

"Oh..." Weiss made a mental note to never make Charles angry.

* * *

Ryland walked his way down the hall, silently cursing himself for losing track of time. He worked his way down to the dorms, knocking on the door of his destination. The door flew open to reveal a rather irritated-looking Yang Xiao Long.

"You're late."

"I brought chips." Ryland replied with a smirk, holding up a large bag in his right hand.

"...You're forgiven." Yang allowed him into the room. This had become their routine since Ryland had started speaking to Yang in the weeks prior. Yang would wait for her team to go be absent from the room, and she'd pick out a movie to play on a single screen she had set up on top of her dresser. She'd invited Ryland to join her, since "watching movies alone is boring". Honestly, she probably just wanted some company since her whole team was off with other people.

"So, what'd you choose today?" Ryland asked as he set the bag of chips on the ground. Yang tossed him a box for what was clearly a horror film. The blonde girl had a very simple criteria for films, contain two of the following: blood, fighting, explosions. Of course, this is why Yang waited for her team to leave, since she had rather understandable qualms about Ruby or Weiss seeing some of the more...questionable...things she put onscreen..."soiling their virgin eyes", she had said.

"Alright, Ry, Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

Dimitri looked around the street, searching for any sign of the missing inhabitants. Hundreds of people didn't just disappear. The Russian wracked his brain. Who or what could have done this?

"Blake, wouldn't the Vale police department have noticed the people here missing?"

"They would...unless this just happened..."

"That means the missing resident can't be that far." Dimitri grit his teeth. Both girls suddenly jumped as if something startled them.

"I heard something." Firo spoke up, her rabbit ear twitching. "Did you, Blake?"

"Yes. Coming from over there." She pointed in a direction. "There was an old park that way."

"Let's check. Lead the way, Blake."

The student took off at a brisk pace, with Firo and Dimitri both on her heels. She took a turn into an alleyway as a shortcut, stopping short of stepping into the open. Blake turned to the soldiers and put a finger over her lips. The three of them crept to the edge of the alley, peering around the corner. Dimitri could hear voices, and upon looking out from the dark corridor, he could see their source.

The residents were crowded into the old park, tightly packed together. Dimitri caught a glimpse of the child he had seen before gripping onto her mother for dear life. Between the Faunus and the alleyway were around a dozen men, all Humans. Most of them carried impromptu weapons, tire irons and pipes, but Dimitri could make out a handgun hanging on one of their waists, as well as another carrying a rifle with an affixed bayonet. Judging by their gaits, Dimitri could tell they were intoxicated. The one with the rifle seemed to be running the show.

* * *

"Alrigh' ye' animals...Lissen up!" He yelled in a heavily slurred voice. "My friends an' I wan' any o' ye' White Fang members t'show yerselves now. Otherwise, we jus' star' pickin' ye' off a' random." He hiccuped. The crowd of Faunus all stayed frozen. "Alrigh' then. 'ave it yer way." The rifleman grabbed the small girl from her mother and pushed the child to the man with the handgun, who stood behind all the other assailants.

"Mommy!" the girl cried as the gun was against her head.

"No! Please, let her go! She's only a child!"

"SHADDUP!" The drunken rifleman yelled. Dimitri clenched his fists. He started running the odds in his head. He'd left his weapon at the academy, so he'd have to...

Blake and Firo watched the events unfold in front of them in utter horror. What were they going to do? Firo turned to Dimitri, looking for an answer, an order, anything. She froze. On Dimitri's face was the most terrifying look she'd ever seen. The Russian's eyes were filled with a raw, seething hatred.

"Firo, Blake. Once I start, get the people out of here." Firo opened her mouth to reply. "No arguments, just do it." The girls nodded. Dimitri moved to the front of their trio, and waited for the right moment...

The handgun-wielding man yawned, lifting the weapon away from the girl's head for a brief moment. The next thing he knew, his wrist was wrenched back and snapped like a twig, causing him to drop the gun into a waiting hand. A boot connected with the back of the man's knee, bringing him to a kneel, where his pistol was smashed against the side of his head, sending him sprawling across the ground. The girl ran back toward her mother.

The drunken attackers turned, only for three more of their number to fall with fresh holes torn through their legs and abdomens. Dimitri squared the weapon on the next man, bringing him down in the same fashion as the ones that proceeded him. The remaining men charged him.

The Faunus watched in awe. A Human was saving them from other Humans? Two Faunus girls ran out from an alleyway behind the large man who was fighting. They sprinted to the crowd and began telling them to escape. The civilians made a run for it. The little girl had been picked up by her parents. Her father carried her away, while the mother kept pace with Blake and Firo.

"Thank you so much! Thank you!"

"N-not now, j-just run." Firo stammered back.

The slide of the pistol locked back, signaling that its no longer had any ammunition. Dimitri threw the weapon to the ground. Six opponents left. He kept the five with melee weapons between him and the rifleman. A man with a knife rushed him, stabbing forward. Dimitri silently walked himself through the steps of the combat.

 _Sidestep_. _Grab arm. Break. Kick knee. Push to ground._

 _Five._

Two more men thought they saw an opening, attack the Russian with a pipe and a crowbar.

 _Dodge. Grab crowbar. Disarm. Neutralize disarmed opponent. Strike second enemy's head._

 _Three._

The last two melee fighters dropped their weapons and decided not to fight the man that had just defeated nine of them. They rose their hands in surrender, but Dimitri still slugged both of them, introducing them to the cement.

 _One._

The rifleman had his weapon up to his shoulder.

"Wha' tha' 'ells yer problem, huh?"

"My problem?" Dimitri snarled, "My problem is that you attacked innocent people and threatened children, you drunken bastard."

"They're jus' murderin' animals. Why tha' 'ell'd you wan' to 'ave them? You inta' animals?"

"What gives you the right to decide peoples' fate?" Dimitri's eyes narrowed.

"I'ma damn Huntsman, mate. I decide peoples' lives fer 'em all th' time."

"So a piece of garbage like you is a Huntsman..."

"Tha's righ'! If ye' step aside now, I migh' jus' le' ya-" Dimitri closed the distance between the two of them, shoving the rifle to side while he gripped the top of the barrel. The rifle was yanked out of the Huntsman's hands. Dimitri removed the magazine and pulled the firing pin to eject the one round in the chamber. He flipped the weapon around and smacked the butt of the weapon into the man's head, sending him to the ground.

"Agh! Th' 'ells wrong wit' you?" Dimitri didn't reply, picking up the rifle magazine. He began to remove bullets from it until only one was left. He slapped the magazine back into the weapon. "Wha'- what're ye-" Dimitri pulled the pin to move the round into the chamber and squared in on the man's head. "No, please!" The Russian's finger twitched over the trigger.

"Dimitri! Don't"

"Mr. Averin!" Dimitri felt as if he snapped out of a trance-like state. He looked behind him, firearm still centered on the drunken Huntsman. Firo and Blake looked at him with pleading eyes. He looked back at the downed man, readjusted his aim, and squeezed off the shot.

The Huntsman opened his eyes. A small crater lay in the cement not an inch from his head. Dimitri threw the rifle away from him. He grabbed the drunkard by the collar of his shirt and lifted him.

"You try to hurt anybody again, and I won't miss next time. Got it?" The Huntsman nodded rapidly. "You'd better." Dimitri roughly shoved him back onto the pavement. Then turned at stormed past the girls.

"Dimitri-" Firo reached out for him. "-are you-"

"Sorry, Firo. Not now. I-" Dimitri suddenly found his path blocked by the little girl and her family, along with several men and women. The girl's father stepped forward.

"No Human has ever done for us what you did today, sir. There are several ex-members of the White Fang amongst us, if allowing you to turn us in is how we can repay you for saving our families, we are in agreement. Myself and twenty-six others will surrender ourselves if it keeps out families safe." Dimitri's expression softened slightly.

"A wise man once taught me that it was wrong to ask for something in return for doing the right thing. None of you are currently members of the White Fang, and I would not take you from your children."

"What is it you want, then?"

"Just keep me out of the police report..." The Russian scratched his head.

"I think we can do that much." The girl's father smiled.

* * *

Later, that night, Dimitri stood alone out on a balcony, staring at the section of Vale which housed the Faunus. Firo and Blake hadn't spoken to him on the way back. He didn't blame them.

"Mr. Averin..." Dimitri spun to find the girls in question standing behind him. "Can we all talk?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I'm sorry you both had to see that..."

"Don't be." Firo shook her head and wrapped Dimitri in a hug. "You did what was right. I would have killed him."

"I would have if I had been in your shoes." Blake said, joining Firo in embracing the large Russian.

"You two aren't-"

"Afraid of you? No. I think we'd just like an explanation." Firo requested.

"It's a long-" Dimitri paused, "No that's not true. It's not that long of a story, actually." He placed a hand to his forehead and parted a section of hair above his left eye. "Do you see it?" Blake and Firo both noticed a long-healed jagged scar, usually hidden even under Dimitri's short hair. "My father, my blood father, was an ex-soldier. He saw some awful things in his time, and he decided to drown out his memories with a bottle. He was a mean drunk. He usually went after my mother when he got angry, but one day he...just didn't stop...and she didn't get up..." Dimitri swallowed and felt Firo's slight arms tighten around him. "After she was gone...he came after me. One day I couldn't take it anymore...and I ran...just...ran. I was fourteen. I hid out at friends' homes for four years, then wound up joining the army because I needed money. The irony is that I found a real father in the military."

"Captain Vellic." Firo recalled.

"Mr. Aver- Dimitri..." Blake looked up at him. "You aren't your father. You've been a better person than it sounds like he ever was. You're you, and that's the person Firo and I value as our friend. Don't change, okay?" Dimitri sighed and smiled with them. They didn't need to say any more.

* * *

"That was great!" Yang exclaimed, patting Ryland hard on the back.

"It was pretty fun." He checked the time. "I should probably get going before your team comes back and starts making assumptions. Not that I would mind."

"Oh really? Well, we'll _Yang_ out some more later." Ryland snickered. "Did you just-"

"Yeah, that was on my level of 'so-bad-its-funny'." the boy placed a hand on the doorknob.

"Alright, see you. G'night, Ry."

"Night, Yang."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, it was Dimitri's turn. I actually kinda liked how this one turned out. Hope you all enjoyed it too.**

 **The poll for your favorite characters is still up, vote if you haven't already.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **HeroBladeRiyet: Well, that's time zones for you. Also, yes, there will eventually be many explosions. Get your C4 ready.**

 **Dimas15: Thanks! If I can induce feels, it's all good.**

 **Rebmul: I'm actually going to address Vortex in a handful of chapters.**

 **Arukune: I agree.**


	31. Chapter 30

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 30

Arthur sat up in his bed and stretched. He looked over at the three other occupants of the room, all still asleep. Miko's bed was empty, but that was because she had curled up next to Nathan for comfort. Arthur smiled to himself. No matter how much they had been though, Miko and Nathan hadn't changed much from the day he met them.

He checked the time. Seven in the morning. Arthur quietly changed in the room's bathroom, then avoided waking his teammates as the exited the dorm. He softly closed the door behind him, and set out for the cafeteria for some food. The halls were peacefully quiet, cloaked in early morning light.

* * *

Emerald headed out from the room she shared with Cinder and Mercury, shutting the door behind her with a huff of frustration. Cinder had been doing some digging over the last week, trying to find out who might have been watching them. Her primary suspects were a team that had appeared on the roster out of nowhere, ARGO. The team of four had been added after the second semester at Beacon had begun, and Cinder doubted that Ozpin would just let people in.

Emerald had been tasked with keeping an eye out for any individuals who might be investigating the trio of infiltrators, while Cinder and Mercury handled "more important matters". Cinder had been keeping Emerald out of the loop lately, and for the life of her, the mint-haired girl couldn't understand why.

Emerald was jolted out of her thoughts as she collided with another person as she rounded a corner. Both she and the other individual feel to the ground, with Emerald landing on top of them.

 _Who else is even up this early?_ She thought to herself as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Sorry about that." The person, a boy with rather long platinum-blond hair and bright-blue eyes, said apologetically from the ground.

"Don't be, I wasn't watching where I was going." Emerald replied, putting on her "friendly face". _Huh. He's kinda cu- No. Bad._ _The last thing you want to do is give that silver-haired asshole more ammo,_ She shook her head and stood.

"What's got you lost in thought so early in the morning?" The boy inquired, as he picked himself up off the floor..

"Nothing." Emerald replied, perhaps a bit too hastily.

"Problems with your team?"

"How-I mean-no." She paused as the boy rose an eyebrow at her. "Fine. Yes. How'd you know?" _If he says "mind reading", I'm done._

"You're out here without your team at seven in the morning..." He deadpanned. "Plus with the scowl you had on, you were clearly battling with something unpleasant."

"You're observant." Emerald said, genuinely honest. "Impressive."

"I'm just good at reading people." He shrugged. "I'm Arthur, by the way."

"Emerald. Nice to meet you." _Aw, even his name is_ _kinda_ _cut- STOP._ Emerald scolded herself while she shook his outstretched hand.

"Well, Emerald, I was heading down for some breakfast just now, would you care to join me?"

Emerald didn't reply, as dozens of thoughts started running around n her head.

 _Cinder gave you a job! Now isn't the time to go fool around!_

 _A cute guy just asked you out for breakfast a few minutes after meeting you! Do it!_

"Emerald?" Arthur called her name. Her face was turning a bright red, and she had an expression like she was overloading. "Are you alright? You don't have to accompany me, if you don't want to."

"I-uh. Sorry, that just felt really sudden." She said, waving her hands defensively in front of her. "I..think I'll have to pass this time though...maybe next time?"

"Sure. That's fine. I'll see you around then." Arthur turned to leave after giving her a kind smile.

"Wait," Emerald said, "Which team are you on? So I don't have to search for you."

"ARGO. I'm the leader." Arthur said from several feet away.

"Okay. I'll see you later then...Arthur."

"Bye, Emerald." He left down the hall, the mint-haired girl staring at his back.

Emerald thought she heard her heart shatter. Why? What had she done to deserve this? Why did her enemy have to be a nice person like that. _And he's cute. NOT HELPING!_

* * *

Cinder turned as the door opened and Emerald re-entered the room a little over and hour after she had left.

"Any progress?" The black-haired woman inquired. Emerald flopped down face-first onto her bed.

"No."

"Did you find any leads?"

"No."

"Did you find out anything about the members of ARGO, at least?"

"...No." Emerald replied.

"Disappointing. Though Mercury and I haven't made any progress either."

"Yup," The silver-haired boy said from atop his own bed, sitting cross-legged, "Still can't get through to four of the White Fang bases in the South."

"They had almost run the course of their usefulness anyway," Cinder stated flatly. "However, it is rather irritating to be constantly delayed by incompetence." Emerald felt her boss' eyes digging into her back.

* * *

Erwin walked cautiously through the metal hallways of the new hideout that Roman had given Vortex. It was still generally dark and dreary, but it was much better than the half-collapsed skyscraper they had been staying in. The young Faunus pressed his back against the wall to allow a pair of Acolytes to pass. He breathed a sigh of relief after they rounded the corner.

When Vortex led the assault on the first White Fang base Roman had supplied them with, he had left none of the Faunus rebels alive. Upon seeing the Order and their Shades rip the White Fang members apart, Erwin had made up his mind. He had gotten in contact with one of his friends still in the group and had been able to warn them of the two latest attacks before they all died.

To make matters worse, Vortex and his troops had begun making Shades that made the Fenrirs and Wyverns look like soft puppies in comparison. Erwin had accidentally stumbled into a face-to-face meeting with a few of the new varieties.

One of the new Shades was a car-sized spider-like creature called an Arachnid. The beast's primary role was as a scout, since it could camouflage itself. It was clearly a frightening opponent in combat as well, with eight legs ending in sharp, spikes, and powerful mandibles. Apparently it was also venomous.

Another of the new creatures was a collection of angular shards floating around a single red crystal. Erwin had heard the Acolytes refer to the vaguely-humanoid thing as a Spire. Aside from the obvious danger of being impaled by the Shade, it could also apparently fire energy attacks.

Then there was the last one, and even though it was the smallest of the three, it scared Erwin the most. The creature looked like a cloaked human from a distance, slightly hunched over. Then he had seen its face. Two empty eye-sockets and a gaping mouth, as if stuck in a permanent scream. Combined with the internal red glow, the thing looked like something out of a nightmare. The Order called it a Banshee. Erwin wasn't sure what its combat skills were, aside from two clawed hands.

The Faunus checked to see if the coast was clear, then slipped into the storage room he'd been using to make calls to the White Fang. Erwin looked around the dark room. Once he was sure that there wasn't anybody around, he took out his scroll and pressed a button to make a call.

"Erwin?" A female voice asked over the call.

"Hi, Vio. I've got some more information I need you to-" Erwin froze at the sound of a metal boot taking a step behind him.

"Having a nice chat with your friends in the White Fang?" The Faunus boy turned in time to see Solaris step out from a shadowy corner, mace in hand.

"Erwin! Erwin, are you there? What's going on?" The Faunus boy was frozen in place. Solaris yanked the scroll from his hands, threw the device to the floor, and shattered it beneath his foot. "Erw-" The call cut out as the scroll was crushed. Erwin backed into the wall.

"You've made a grave mistake."

* * *

"My Lord." Solaris stepped into the large office that Vortex had taken as his own. The Bloodline held a shining red crystal in his hand.

"Solaris. What is it?"

"I caught the boy leaking information about our operations to the White Fang. I apprehended him and locked him in a cell."

"Hm." The Lord nodded. "No matter." He showed the crystal to Solaris. "I'd like you to conduct an experiment for me." Solaris took the small object.

"What is it?"

"This is the material the people of this world call 'Dust'. I trust you can feel what it contains?"

"Yes. It has...energy. A lot of it."

"When I tried to access that energy, I was unable to. Torchwick called this sample a 'Burn Crystal'. I believe that the energy needs to be absorbed one who can manipulate it."

"I see..." Solaris concentrated on the energy in the crystal. The Dust's glow faded and the crystal turned into its namesake, falling to the ground in a light sand-like pile. "I feel... _powerful_..."

"Excellent. Then we must conduct another test."

* * *

Vortex and Solaris entered another room, this one being one of the rooms allocated for creating Shades.

"Now, Solaris. I want you to create a Fenrir using the energy from the crystal." The Knight nodded and held out his hand towards the ground. He released the energy he had absorbed, manipulating it into the shape of the wolf-like Shade.

He lowered his hand as the creature took form. Shadows swirled to make the Fenrir's body. Solaris suddenly realized something. The Shade was far larger than normal. Thin lines split open on the creature's body creating its eyes and mouth. Instead of the usual blood red glow that most Shades possessed inside their bodies, this one was a bright burning orange. Solaris had to take a step back as flames spewed from the Shade's face. Embers drifted out from its eyes and maw.

"Congratulations, Solaris. You've created a new type of Shade. A true hound from hell."

* * *

Neo carried a large metal box in her arms down the halls of the hideout. Roman's new employer had asked him to acquire samples of Dust, specifically crystals, and deliver them to him. Apparently the client was only in possession of fire Dust, and had wished to experiment with other varieties. Neo hadn't pried any further than that, it wasn't her business.

She found the door she was supposed to deliver the box of Dust crystals to. She knocked by giving the door several light taps with her foot. It swung inward, where Neo was greeted with the sight of several figures in black armor. Two of what Neo thought were statues of large wolves sat obediently against a wall. Then one of them moved. What had Roman gotten involved in this time?

"Excellent. The crystals. Hand them here." A large man with a mace on his back took the bow from her. "Your assistance is appreciated." Neo nodded, turning to leave. Suddenly the sound of an ear-piercing screech filled the small room. Neo held her hands over her ears and turned to find the source. A robed, human-like figure appeared in a swirling mist of shadow. It opened its eyes and mouth, letting out another short scream that hurt Neo's ears even through her hands. The other occupants of the room seemed unaffected. Fire poured from the thing's gaping eyes and mouth.

Another man in black armor, who Neo assumed must be the client, since he carried himself with authority, walked right up to the creature.

"Another success. We shall call this Shade a 'Suplhite'. Take it and the Hellhounds out. We must test our new weapons in combat." He started issuing instructions to the other armored individuals, not even noticing the sounds of a door opening and closing behind him.

Neo ran out of the hideout as fast as her legs could carry her. She essentially dove back onto the transport that had brought her. Roman sat in the pilot's seat.

"Neo? Did you make the drop." She nodded. "What's gotten into you?" She pointed to a more normal looking wolf-creature that stood guard outside the hideout. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a couple dogs." She glared at him, making rapid gestures with her hands. Roman sighed, it was times like this he wished she could talk.

"Look," the thief said, "It's better to just nod and go along with the new client's requests, rather than risk pissing him off. I've already seen a glimpse of where that road goes, and I'm not interested in pursuing it. Do you just not want to run delivery again?" Neo nodded rapidly, though she looked slightly upset that Roman hadn't understood her gesturing. She'd have to write it down for him later. "Alright. Buckle up, we've got more work to do."

* * *

 **A/N: Things are happening in Order-land. A slightly shorter chapter than last time.**

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	32. Chapter 31

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 31

Alex watched Ruby and Pyrrha fawn over Jaune. With the start of the tournament only four days away, the participating students had entered into a planning stage. At the moment, this meant reorganizing Jaune's combat gear so he could carry everything effectively. The two girls were currently deciding where to place a holster for the blond boy's SMG, along with several pouches of extra ammunition. Ruby had helped her male classmate create a simple metal holster for his firearm, which the girls eventually concluded would best be located in a cross-draw position, mounted on the front left side of Jaune's abdomen. The extra pouches were designated to a bandolier that hung diagonally down from the boy's right shoulder.

"There. I think that's good." Pyrrha took a step back to admire her work.

"How's it feel? Any balance or weight problems?" Ruby asked.

"It feels right. How's it look?"

"You look every bit like a modern Huntsman." Luna commented from next to Alex. After she and Alex had...talked, she had been sticking to him like glue. She helped him out wherever she could though, and it wasn't as if Alex disliked her company, so her proximity was more of a positive than anything else.

"Thanks, Miss Azure."

"Jaune, please just call me Luna. I feel like I'm going to sprout wrinkles every time you call me 'Miss'. Besides, you started calling Alex by his first name."

"Sorry, Luna." Jaune rubbed the back of his head, "Old habits, you know..."

"Well," Alex cut in, "How about we end here for today so you three can go meet up with your teams?"

"Yes, we should plan a bit with them before the tournament." Pyrrha nodded.

"Alright. Bye, everyone." Jaune waved as he and his redheaded partner exited the room.

* * *

A short while later, Alex and Luna found themselves called to the staff lounge by Ozpin. The headmaster stood in front of the gathered group of teachers and security officers. Alex made a note that Ryland and Carbon were absent, though the latter had informed him they were working on something together. He'd have to leave them a message later to pass on whatever Ozpin said.

The headmaster took a sip from his mug, "Thank you all for coming. This won't take long, but I feel that there are a few matters that need to be addressed before the tournament begins." He cleared his throat. "The competition is spread out over three days, during which all participating students will be off campus. They will be accompanied by myself, Glynda, and Peter, who are the staff representatives for Beacon. Mr. Greene, your security team will remain here and operate normally. Please make sure the students that remain at the academy stay out of trouble." Alex nodded at the last statement.

Glynda took over the conversation, "There is one last problem. The Vale Council..." An expression crossed her face, like the words left a bad taste in her mouth, " _just_ informed us that Roman Torchwich orchestrated a breakout at the prison he was being held at _over a week ago._ " Glynda seemed to grit her teeth in frustration. The other staff in the room exchanged looks. Oobleck stood to speak.

"Why didn't they inform us sooner? What could have possessed them to withhold that information from the public?" The history professor asked.

"My guess is that the Council wanted to cover up evidence that could reveal any incompetence on their part." Ironwood muttered distastefully from a corner of the room.

"Be that as it may, James," Ozpin said, "Torchwick has fortunately remained quiet following his escape. We should take heart in the fact that Argent and his fellow councilors saw fit to inform us before of his escape before he was at our door."

"I'll pass the information on to Fyres," Alex said, "so we'll have extra eyes out for him."

"That sounds like a wise decision. James, I trust your men will be ready to defend the city in the event of an attack of any sort?"

"Of course."

"Then that will be all. Good day to all of you." Ozpin strode out of the room. Others slowly funneled out the door. As Alex turned to leave, a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder to stop him. He turned to find it was Ironwood. Luna stopped at the doorway and looked back.

"Alex, are you coming?" Her eyes fell onto the man behind Alex, "Oh- General Ironwood, sir!"

"Good afternoon, Luna. I would just like a private word with Mr. Greene. I won't keep him long."

"I- uh- of course, right away!" She stammered before darting out the door.

"Now then," Ironwood continued as the entrance to the room swung shut, "I'd like to thank you Mr. Greene." There was a long pause as Alex registered what he had just said.

"...Well...That wasn't what I expected. But, what for?"

"For taking in Azure, Carbon, and Firo. They seem happier here."

"Okay..." Alex said, "I guess I need to offer an apology in return, then."

"For what?"

"I think I grossly misjudged you. Back during the breach, I thought you were being a coward when you wanted to pull your troops out...but, you really care about them, don't you?"

"I was one of them once. Before I got too old, I was just like them, a young man who wanted to make a difference. I learn every one of their names, their faces, so that I remind myself of the weight of holding their lives in my hands." Alex chuckled slightly, then broke into full on laughter. "You find this amusing?"

"No, no." Alex breathed to calm himself down, "I just realized how much you're like my old CO. He had a lot of the same sentiments, though he was a bit of a crazy bastard."

"He sounds like he was a good man."

"He was. At least tough old Barnes went out in a blaze of glory. I think it's the way he wanted to go."

"I would've liked to have met him."

"He died during the same battle that brought Dimitri and myself to Remnant. Considering how strange things have been so far, who knows? He might be floating around somewhere...though I'm not sure how he'd do on his own here..." Alex shrugged, "If he was here, I'm sure someone would have found him by now." Ironwood nodded and checked his scroll as it beeped.

"I apologize for taking up your time, Mr. Greene. It was...pleasant to speak to you, perhaps we should chat some other time."

"Sure thing, General."

* * *

Ryland and Carbon leaned over the exosuit, the older holding the piece they were working on still, while the younger slaved away with a plasma torch inside the armor segment's inner components.

"So, what do you think, Gramps?" Ryland said without looking away from his work, "You still in love with that plasma rifle? Or do you want me to scavenge one of the Vanguard weapons to make something new?"

"Why not all of the above?"

"Good point." Ryland adjusted a wire into the proper place.

"So, I was wondering. How'd you wind up in the military, Kid?"

"Oh, that? They arrested me." Ryland's shoulders shrugged nonchalantly.

"For what?"

"Caught me reprogramming a Talon drone to speak using only profanities. _Technically_ , I was holding onto military contraband, so they cuffed me. The judge gave me a choice, serve in the military, or serve in prison. I went with the former, cause hey, they would pay me to do more of what they arrested me for in the first place."

"You're something, Kid..." Carbon shook his head, though he was having trouble maintaining a straight face.

"Aw, that's nice of you, Gramps. Glad to hear somebody appreciates my talent." Ryland smiled. "There, think we got it." He flipped a panel shut on the armor. "Let's take her for a test-drive."

The young soldier locked the piece he had been working on onto the main body of the suit. He pulled up a blueprint-like image of the exosuit on his scroll, pressing a prompt. The armor entered into a t-pose, and its back split open. Carbon took a short breath and stepped into the suit, he made sure that he was as far in as he could go.

"Alright, Kid, lock me in." Ryland pressed another prompt on his scroll. The back of the exosuit closed behind Carbon, leaving only his head exposed. Ryland resolved that by placing a helmet on Carbon. Unlike the EDC helmet the older man had worn before, this one fully covered his face, instead of just the top and sides. "Where'd you get this?"

"Bossman had a few spare orbital helmets laying around. Since we won't be running any ops in vacuum anytime soon, I figured I'd offer you some better head protection."

"Speaking of which, why did you tell me not to tell the Boss anything?"

"Well, one, because I want it to be a surprise. And, two, because strictly speaking, modifying standard equipment is...discouraged."

"What have you gotten me involved in?"

"Relax, its not like anyone's really gonna start enforcing EDC regs anyway." Ryland pressed his scroll. "Alright, locks are off."

Carbon took a short step off the short platform the exosuit had been resting on, surprising himself at the fact he was even able to jump, and next by how fast he dropped to the ground. The suit cracked the cement floor as its feet landed.

"Kid, how heavy is this thing?"

"One-point-two tons," came the reply.

"Twenty-two-hundred pounds!? It barely feels like anything!"

"Well, the suit itself is holding up a vast majority of the weight. All the benefits, none of the pain. Though, you're gonna be a little slower."

"I get to be a human tank. I think the trade-off's worth it."

"Let's test that theory," Ryland pointed to a large pile of cinder-blocks, "Let's have you make those into a wall, then we'll break through it. We'll get an idea of the suit's lifting and combat capabilities." Carbon shrugged and trudged over to the pile, lifting and arranging the blocks with ease.

"Wow, it's as easy as lifting a feather." He commented, placing the last few blocks into the chest-high wall. "So, how to you want me to break this?"

"How about you shoulder-bash it?" Ryland suggested. Carbon nodded and walked over to the other side of the room to give himself enough space to pick up speed. He took a breath and then ran straight at the cinder-blocks. As his shoulder made contact, the blocks went flying across the room, the one's he had come into direct contact with cracked and broke into pieces.

Carbon realized he couldn't slow down in time, and smashed into the reinforced steel wall of the testing room. He pushed himself off and observed the damage.

"Well, that's certainly impressive." Even with the suit losing velocity, Carbon had left a sizable dent in the metal, while the exosuit wasn't even scratched. "Good work, Kid. This thing's pretty awesome."

"Did you ever doubt me?"

"Not really, no." Carbon returned to the platform, where Ryland disengaged the suit and let the older man out. "Might want to install some way for me to get in and out on my own , though."

"Yeah, I'll rewrite the firmware later." Ryland said with a grin. There was a knock at the door. Carbon walked over and opened the entrance to reveal Yang standing outside.

"Hi, can I talk to Ryland?" She asked.

"So...'hot dates', huh Kid?" Carbon smirked at the boy in question.

"I- um- it's kinda urgent." Yang cut in. Ryland decided to set aside the joking reply he had prepared. Yang seemed anxious.

"Sure. Gramps, can you pack up today? I'll talk with Yang outside."

"Yeah, no problem." The two younger individuals slipped out of the room. "Kids."

* * *

"Yang, what's up?"

"Are you busy?"

"Not anymore."

"Alright, so this person I know contacted me. You know when Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and me were searching for the White Fang in Vale before the breach?"

"I wasn't there, but Bossman might've said something about it. Why?" Ryland scratched his head.

"We talked to this guy down in Vale, he didn't have anything at the time, but we never told him we stopped looking. So, now he sent me a message saying he has something."

"You want me to come with? I'm pretty sure you could knock this guy's head to the moon and back."

"I can and did. But...I dunno, something didn't _feel_ right with his message."

"Well, don't worry. I've got your back." Yang's face broke out into a smile. Outwardly, Ryland returned the gesture, but internally he was wracking his brain. _Damn it, the Bossman said something about this...- Torchwick. Yang was asking around about Torchwick._ Alex had shot both him and Carbon a message telling them that the criminal had broken out of prison. If this contact of Yang's suddenly had information now, then maybe...

* * *

The two of them boarded a Bullhead transport into Vale. Ryland was wearing his armor, he had shifted its colors to blend in more naturally as street wear. He had also grabbed a pair of EDC shooting glasses like the one's Firo had been using. He was armed with his handgun, a rifle, and a knife, the two smaller weapons were hidden from sight. Yang had changed into a tan and black jacket and dark pants. She had her gauntlets ready to go in case of a fight.

Once they had landed, Yang led him through a shady-looking part of the city, Eventually stopping in front of a sleazy-looking bar. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Ryland was still behind her, then pushed through the double doors. Ryland immediately recognized the smell of liquor. He'd grown accustomed to the scent during his time with the EDC. Ryland smiled to himself, remembering one time he'd seen the Sarge scold three of the other STRD members like kids for getting a bit too merry.

Ryland registered the sounds of multiple weapons being raised and loaded. His rifle was off his back in an instant, aiming back down at the handful of men in red and black suits that had arrived to greet them. Yang placed a hand on his gun and pushed the barrel down.

"Give it a second, Ry." On cue, a new man, who looked to be the boss of the men in suits, pushed his way through the crowd.

"You idiots. I told you we were expecting her." He looked up at the entrance. "Blondie."

"Hi, Junior. You said you had something?"

"Yeah, come on down. I'll explain-" His eyes fell on Ryland, who hadn't quite fully put away his rifle. "You certainly go through em fast. What happened to the blue-haired one?"

"Oh, right. Junior, this is Ryland. Ryland, Junior."

"Nice to meet you, I guess..." The suited man held out a hand, which Ryland hesitantly shook. "What's with the look? We're mercs, not criminals. There's a difference." Surprisingly, the younger male's posture calmed for some reason. "Anyway, Blondie, I've got something on Torchwick, but I need to agree to do something before I give it up."

"Fine," Yang replied, "What'd you need?"

"A couple of my guys went out on a job that cut through a small patch of woods to the North-East, the Stone Forest. Not an hour later, one of them calls me in a panic. When we go to pick them up, we find the whole team looking like they went through the business end of a wood chipper. We asked around, and the people there have been reporting 'super Grimm' or something. I'd like you and your boyfriend here to take care of whatever's lurking around in there, so my guys can do their jobs."

"No problem. And the info?"

"Right. So the news didn't report this, but Torchwick broke out of prison just over a week ago. One of my guys spotted him lurking around earlier _this_ week, in one of the outer districts. He was with some guy no one could recognize, but he wasn't White Fang. He might've found a new employer."

"Alright, thanks Junior. We'll go deal with your 'super Grimm' problem." Ryland followed her as she rose and left.

* * *

As the pair exited out onto the street, Yang took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Guess I was worried for nothing. Well, let's go kill ourselves some monsters."

"Yang, shouldn't we call for some backup? Or at least let someone know where we're going?"

"Why? You scared, Ry? Don't worry, I'll protect you!" She joking punched at his arm.

"I'm just going to shoot the Bossman a message, let him know where we are. Better safe than sorry." Ryland quickly took out his scroll and typed a short note out. "Alright, now we can go."

* * *

Yang and Ryland had to hop on another transport to get to their destination, a tiny forest just outside one of Vale's walls. They disembarked the Bullhead and passed through a gate. Yang presented her Beacon student ID to the overworked-looking officer standing guard. He waved them through.

The first thing that struck Ryland was how dark it suddenly was outside the walls. He pressed a button on the shooting glasses he was wearing, enabling a low-light visual mode. True to its name, the Stone Forest's trees were fossilized, their wood long replaced by rock.

"Let's get hunting, Ry." Yang moved ahead with a light skip to her step. She slowed and stopped when she realized Ryland wasn't keeping pace with her, instead carefully scanning what seemed like every tree. "Ry? You okay?"

"Huh?" He jumped slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine." Yang walked back over to him and suddenly grabbed the sides of his face. She looked him right in the eyes.

"I grew up with a little sister, I can tell when someone's lying."

"It's nothing, really."

"Ry..." Yang said dangerously, "I will hit you if you don't tell me."

"You'd make a horrible therapist." Ryland shook his head. "This place is just making me uncomfortable, that's all." Yang sighed and released his cheeks.

"Alright, I'll believe you. Just keep up."

"Just walk a bit slower." He retorted, "I'm making sure nothing jumps out on top of us." They shared grins with each other and started walking through the trees again. Once Yang's back was turned, Ryland's expression became dead serious. Technically, he hadn't lied to her. The woods made him feel uncomfortable, but not just because of the darkness and eerie silence. He already suspected that Junior's "super Grimm" was a Shade, and hopefully not too many more than one. He was confident he and Yang could handle it, but he had made sure to activate he homing tracker on his armor, which Alex could use to find them once he arrived. Hopefully, his message had reached the Major and he was already on his way.

Ryland whipped around as his eyes caught movement in the tree line. Upon closer observation, it had been an owl, swooping out of the trees to snatch some dinner off the ground. Damn, this place was making him jumpy. Ryland shook his head as certain memories floated to the surface. The woods, the darkness, things hiding and watching them, waiting to-

 _No. Keep it together._ Ryland registered more movement, this time a much larger creature.

"Yang." The girl stopped and took a few steps back so she was shoulder-to-shoulder with her companion. The beast stepped out from the thick brush.

Yang held her composure in front of the Shade that had stepped in front of them. A wolf as large as an Ursa, lit from the inside by a flickering orange glow. A snap sounded from her right. Another one. Then rustling as a different creature emerged behind the second. This one looked like a cloaked human, but it had two wide-open eyes, far too open.

"Yang, we have to go. Now."

"We can take three of these things." She replied confidently, "What's gotten into you?" One of the Hellhounds let out a growl, embers began to flutter out from its eyes and jaws. "Did these things always breathe fire?"

"No. They don't." The Shade ran forward, Yang deployed her gauntlets and smashed her fist into the underside of the beast's head, flipping it onto its back with a powerful uppercut. She fired four blasts from her weapon's integrated shotguns into the Shade's side, leaving gaping holes that showed the Hellhound's hollow interior. The thing rose to its feet.

"How is it not dead?"

"You've got to weaken their structure enough. Apparently these ones are tougher than normal."

"So, more holes?"

"More holes." Yang fired another trio of shells into the injured Shade's face, blasting its head away. It fell to the ground, its body beginning to disintegrate into the air.

"They aren't _that_ toug-"

"Yang, watch out!" Ryland tackled her to the ground as a roaring jet of flame spewed towards them, accompanied by a horrible screech. The Banshee, or whatever it was, had moved in for the kill with the second burning Fenrir. The two humans rolled to their feet. "Screaming one first."

"On it." Yang introduced the Sulphite to her shotguns, blowing a tight grouping of holes it its torso. The creature rushed forward towards her, moving over twenty feet in the blink of any eye. Yang ducked under a swipe from a clawed hand. The Shade's head snapped back as Ryland planted two bullets from his rifle in its face. He then had to dive out of the way as the remaining Hellhound charged him. He quickly switch his weapon to its automatic setting and emptied the magazine into the passing Shade. A good twenty round holes tore open on the hound's body. It lost its balance and fell, where Ryland took his chance to rip a long laceration down the Shade's body with his knife. Like its fellow, it dispersed back into shadowy mist. Ryland turned in time to see Yang literally rip off the Sulphite's arm and beat it to death with it.

"Well, mission accomplished." Yang said proudly, "And you doubted us." Time seemed to slow down for Ryland. As Yang smiled at him, he registered another pair of bright orange eyes looking out at her back. Sudden images flashed through his mind. Broken and torn bodies, blood everywhere. He moved forward on instinct, pushing Yang out of the way as a third Hellhound burst out from the trees with its jaws wide open.

* * *

Yang wasn't sure what Ryland had done at first. As she fell onto her side, she felt a large shape blur past her. The huge wolf that had intended to bite down on her head from behind closed its maw around Ryland's left arm, and bit down.

"Ry!" Yang fired her last few shotgun shells into the Shade. It wasn't enough to kill it. The beast was still pounced on Ryland, she heard him scream. Yang grabbed the Hellhound's head, forcing her hands into its open eye sockets. She pulled with everything she had, tearing the top half of the Shade's head cleanly off the rest of its body. The body continued to writhe angrily, so Yang removed its limbs until she was sure it was dead. She rushed over to Ryland, who lay still on the ground. A rapidly increasing pool of blood poured out beneath him. His left arm was gone, ripped off at the shoulder by the Shade's sharp jaws. "Ry! Come on, wake up!"

"Yang?" He groaned weakly.

"Ry-your arm-"

"I know. Yang, there could be more of them. I need you to get out of here."

"Not without you!"

"Not...much...of a choice...I'm down an arm...and I'm losing blood..."

"I'll carry you if I have to!" Ryland's eye's began to flutter shut. "Come on, stay awake! Ry? Ry!" He'd fallen unconscious. Yang looked at the gaping wound on Ryland's left side, if he was going to live, she'd have to stop the bleeding somehow. A sudden thought came to her mind. Something she'd seen in a movie once.

Yang grabbed a handful of her spare shotgun shells and took off the tops, emptying the fire Dust inside onto her hands. She liberally applied the substance to the bleeding wound, then triggered the dust with her Aura. Flames leaped to life on Ryland's shoulder, licking at the injury and searing the flesh. Yang held her hands in place over the wound, ignoring the pain as the fire made contact with her palms. She pulled away, taking relief in the fact that the bleeding had stopped. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't support her own weight. She'd drained her Aura completely along with her own physical stamina. A light passed over Yang and Ryland, she looked up, seeing a transport hovering above them. All she could do was weakly wave her arms.

* * *

Ryland awoke staring at the ceiling of the Beacon infirmary. He felt a light weight on his chest. His head throbbed.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Kid." Ryland turned to find Carbon sitting in a chair beside his bed.

"Was I out long?"

"Nah, only around sixteen hours. Boss and Dimitri came to check up on you earlier." Ryland nodded. They must have arrived in time.

"Yang?"

"She's fine. Speaking of which, I'll leave you to thank her for saving your ass." Carbon got up and walked right out the door before Ryland could ask for clarification. He caught a glimpse of blonde hair in the edge of his vision and looked down. Yang had been sitting in another chair, pulled close to the bed, and had placed her head right in the middle of Ryland's torso, beneath his ribcage.

"Hey, Yang?" He pat her head with his hand, ruffling her hair slightly. She made a small groaning sound and rose off of him. He noticed her hands were both heavily bandaged up past her wrists.

"Y'know, I usually hit people who touch my hair, but I think I'll let you off this time." She smiled at him.

"I'm honored." She wrapped wrapped her bandaged arms around his body as best as she could.

"Ry, I'm glad you're okay..."

"Yang what happened to your hands?"

"I had to stop you from...bleeding out, so...I...burned the wound shut with fire Dust. Ended up burning my hands pretty badly as well as your shoulder..."

"Thanks for saving me, Yang." She lay head head back down.

"You're not getting off free and easy. When food shows up, you're feeding me. I can't move either of my hands."

"Fair enough. Though that means there's only one hand between two people."

"Is it too soon to make 'disarmed' puns?"

"Way too soon."

* * *

 **A/N: Why this ended up being the longest chapter yet, I have no idea. But, here it is, 4450+ words, centered mostly around Ryland, of all characters.**

 **Dimas15: Wait and see...(*maniacal laughter intensifies*) Though, seriously, thanks for sticking with the story so far.**


	33. Chapter 32

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 32

The first day of the tournament arrived, and with it, the Vytal Festival took off in full swing. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked from all corners of Remnant to enjoy the celebration. Beacon was roaring with activity as students, both competitors and not, bustled about in preparation. Not all students were running around though, some decided to spend time with some of their favorite people.

* * *

"Alright. Just hold it still..." Ryland said, "This is way harder with one hand." With the assistance of Yang and Carbon, the young soldier had set about constructing a prosthetic arm for himself. An EDC medic had already attached a connector for a finished appendage on Ryland's shoulder. However, the actual building of the arm moved slowly, due in no short part to the fact that Ryland was quite literally short on hands.

Yang and Carbon both held onto each piece of the arm Ryland worked on, keeping it steady for him. He checked to make sure his wiring was correct, sat the plasma torch he had been using down on the table, then turned it off. They three of them sat in a trio of chairs around a table.

"So, how long until you have to leave for the tournament, Yang?" Ryland asked, using a towel to wipe his forehead.

"Couple of hours. Hopefully, we can get you a working arm today..."

"Guess we better not sit around too long then."

After a few minutes of rest, the trio went back to work. Ryland placed the last few components into place and closed the final panel on the arm. The prosthetic was a simple metallic gray, made from Polymetal. Ryland had taken painstaking effort to ensure the limb was approximately the same size and weight as his own arm had been. Of course, he couldn't resist, and had seated several additional systems in the chassis. He'd mounted electric contacts on the knuckles to simulate a similar effect to Alex's shock gauntlets, which could be switched on and off with ease. He had also installed a magnetic launcher in the forearm, capable of launching specially-made iron projectiles at high had also added a tiny hacking suite to the limb, with which he could remotely access many devices. He'd already put images of dancing cats on both of his helper's scrolls. Of course, the arm itself was far stronger than flesh and bone, and waterproof.

"Okay, help me put this thing on." Ryland sat back down in a chair. Carbon lifted the metal appendage, carefully aligning the spherical joint to the empty round slot on Ryland's left shoulder. The prosthetic clicked into place as it recognized its new home. Ryland moved the arm, pleased that it was responsive.

"Well, now you're twice as handy." Yang quipped, causing Ryland to chuckle and Carbon to groan. The latter had had no shortage of the jokes between these two for the last several days.

"Thanks, both of you. It's nice to have two hands again." He grinned. Yang checked her scroll when it beeped.

"Sorry, Ry. That's my alarm to go. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure thing. Go kick some ass." The young soldier gave her two thumbs up.

"Don't lose anything else while I'm gone!" Yang called as she jogged out the door.

* * *

Once Yang was gone, Carbon turned to Ryland, his expression unreadable.

"What's up, Gramps?"

"I didn't want to bring it up while you were still healing, but there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." The younger man's expression darkened slightly.

"And that is...?"

"I asked Yang about what happened in the woods. She mentioned you seemed...on edge."

"It was dark, and there were enemies about." Ryland shrugged. "Not sure what else you want from me."

"Kid...if there's something more to it...you know you can-"

"There's not." The reply came out far more hostile and hissed than Ryland intended. "Sorry. I remembered there was something I needed to do." He moved to leave, only to be stopped by Carbon's arm blocking his way.

"Look, Ryland...I'm not sure what it is, but something's definitely bothering you. Just drop the overly cheerful act for a second and let me try to help you!"

"Carbon, just take my advice on this," Ryland's face darkened into the dead expression the older soldier had seen once before, "you don't want to know about this."

"Who did you lose?" Carbon sat across from Ryland so that he was looking him in the eyes.

"...What...?"

"Your face. It reminds me of my father's after my mother died. He usually had an expression like that whenever he would look at photos of her." Ryland hesitated.

"...Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Yes. Ryland, you may make yourself out to be some kind of aloof ass, but you've shown time and time again that you care about everyone around you. I think the least I can do, as your friend, is hear you out. So, please..."

"Alright..." Ryland breathed deeply, taking a long pause before beginning. "Those woods brought up...bad memories for me. When I was a kid...around eight, I think...my little sister, Megan, and I always took little adventures into this patch of woods behind our house. When the war started, our parents told us we weren't allowed leave the yard anymore, but we didn't understand why. one day, the two of us decided to try and go anyway...There was a Shade in the woods. I don't know how it got there, whether it was a scout or a straggler from a distant battle...but it came out of the trees. It grabbed Megan, and-" He suddenly looked like he was going to throw up. "It tore her to pieces- then it just...ran off, like it was letting me live just to taunt me...I couldn't save Megan...but she said one last thing...'keep smiling'."

"I'm sorry, Kid." Carbon said, at a loss for any more words than that. A lot of things about the boy made more sense to him now. There was a long silence.

"Hope they fix that..." Ryland said, a clearly fake grin spread on his face.

"Fix what?"

"The leak in the ceiling..." Carbon saw the tears roll down the younger man's face.

"Yeah. We'll get someone on that."

* * *

The end of the first day came to a close. Both teams RWBY and JNPR performed wonderfully, each qualifying for the next day of competition. Yang happily walked down the halls to Ryland's workshop, pushing open the door.

"Hello~!" She called as she entered. Upon receiving no response she looked around, finding the normally active room devoid of light or Ryland. Where could he be? Maybe the staff lounge? It was almost dinner time.

Yang exited the workshop and worked her way down to the lounge door and knocked. The door opened, revealing Alex. Dimitri, Firo, and Luna sat around a table.

"Hello, Yang." Alex greeted, "Good work today."

"Thanks." She nodded, "Have you seen Ryland?"

"Now that you mention it, no I haven't. Maybe he turned in early for today?"

"I'll check on that." Yang continued down the hall, a pit of worry growing in her stomach. She strode down the halls at a brisk pace, coming to a halt in front of Ryland's door in the staff quarters. She knocked. "Ry?" No answer. She knocked again. "Ry, it's Yang. You there?" The door swung open, revealing not Ryland, but Carbon. "Carbon? What're you doing in Ryland's room?"

"Kid's a bit...out of it right now. Maybe you can say something to him." Carbon stepped aside to let Yang cross the threshold. As she entered the room, she saw Ryland laying on his bed on his side, staring at the wall. Yang walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Ry? What's wrong?"

"Yang...please, not now..." This wasn't the person she had some to know.

"Ry, just talk to me." She tugged on his shoulder so the he faced her. Her eyes met his, one set filled with worry, the other empty like a void. "Ry?"

"Yang...if...you lost Ruby, would you...want to take her place?"

"Of course. She's my baby sister. Why? Ry, what is it?" He just stared at her. "Come on, just tell me what's wrong." Ryland's mouth silently opened and closed, and he began sobbing uncontrollably. Yang wrapped her arms around the shaking form. As she held Ryland, a horrible thought suddenly entered her mind. "Ry, what happened to you sister?" She mustered the kindest smile she could. "I'm not going anywhere, take as long as you need."

He started shakily, but Ryland slowly recounted the story he had told Carbon. Yang's grip on him tightened with each sentence he managed to choke out.

"Ry, it's not your fault...You couldn't have known any of that would happen..." Yang had pulled him into a tight, yet gentle, embrace. She maintained her hold on him, loosening her hold as he calmed down. Eventually, she released Ryland from the hug, once his breathing had slowed.

"Yang...thank you...Carbon too..." The young male croaked. He sat up on the bed, Yang threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Just take it easy, Ry..." Yang said, making a decision in her head. "I think I can understand how you feel better than anyone else..."

* * *

The next morning, Yang stretched as she exited Ryland's room. She and Carbon had eventually returned him to his usual self, after the young soldier had endlessly apologized for putting them through so much stress. Yang and Carbon had both crashed in Ryland's room. Carbon had stolen a pillow and laid on the floor. Yang was not nearly as generous, and had used Ryland as a pillow, crowding him into the wall of the room.

When they had awoken, the atmosphere had calmed significantly. Ryland immediately started the morning by jokingly comparing their situation to the worst slumber party in history. Yang had silently given thanks that he had returned to being happy and cheerful, but the knowledge that it might not be genuine still worried her. Her friend had assured her he was back to normal. Yang could only hope he was telling the truth.

As if reading her thoughts, Ryland stepped into the hall behind her. "Where're you headed?" His smile was back.

"Getting a fresh set of clothes, then some food."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not."

* * *

Emerald found herself in a rather embarrassing situation. She had managed to bump into and knock over Arthur _again,_ purely at random. She'd actually been trying to avoid the blond boy, since she lost her composure every time he was near her. However, fate apparently had other plans in mind, since she had literally continued to run into him almost daily.

Of course, the blond had remembered their talk about getting food together, and it had eventually happened...and then continued to happen. Emerald was torn at how to feel about these meetings. On one hand- _he's cute and nice and-_ Arthur was good company. Speaking with him was pleasant, he didn't tease or berate her like Mercury or Cinder...And there was the other hand: Cinder. Emerald technically owed the woman everything, and she knew it, that's why she went along with her plans...

"Can I expect the pleasure of your company again today, Emerald?"

"Sorry, not this time. I've got an errand to run." Technically she wasn't lying, but in this instance, she wouldn't be completing her "errand". Cinder had asked her to find and plant a listening device on the members of team ARGO. The black-haired pyromancer was still unaware of Emerald's interactions with Arthur. Emerald simply couldn't convince herself to go through with it.

"Another time, then." Arthur smiled at her.

"Y-yeah." Emerald felt her face warm slightly. The blond boy walked down the hall with a parting wave.

* * *

Cinder looked up from her scroll as Emerald entered.

"Did you succeed?" The woman asked the mint-haired girl.

"I- no. I still couldn't find them." Emerald answered quickly.

"Unfortunate, though it's of no concern anymore. We will be leaving soon."

"...Oh...Wasn't the plan to-"

"The plan no longer seems possible. White Fang bases have continued to go silent. We no longer have the forces necessary to accomplish my goal. We will need to find out what happened.

"I see..."

* * *

Alex and Dimitri received a call from Ozpin, asking them to come to the workshop building that housed the EDC vehicles. The first thing they noticed is that there was one more Albatross than there had been the previous days. Ozpin stood with Fyres next to the aircraft, which looked to be in poor condition.

"Gentlemen." The headmaster greeted them as they approached.

"Where'd you find the second Albatross?"

"My associate in Vacuo sent over the craft she found in the desert. The government finally released the wreckage." Ozpin explained. "Captain Fyres is confident that he and his men can get it working once again."

"Aye," Fyres nodded, "Jus' give me an' the lads a bit of time, We'll 'ave this bird flyin' again before you know it."

"The extra firepower would definitely be nice in case the Order shows up again." Alex agreed. "How long do you think you'll need?"

"Couple a' days at most. Jus' need the 'eadmaster's approval fer some requisitions."

"Alright, get on that as soon as possible."

"Aye, aye, Major."

* * *

 **A/N: So, this chapter turned out weirdly in my opinion, some parts are good, others not so much. I'm skipping a grand majority of the tournament. Partially because I doubt my ability to make it interesting. Next chapter will start after the tournament has ended. Small time skip, but it's not like anything very important is happening in that span. Honestly, this chapter only serves to wrap up things up concerning Ryland, Arthur, and Cinder's group for this leg of the journey.**

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **First off, Dimas15 and HeroBladeRiyet saw the prosthetic arm coming from a mile away.**

 **Skaana: Soon, I promise.**


	34. Chapter 33

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 33

As the tournament drew to a close, the city of Vale continued to enjoy the festivities of the celebration. However, in a base somewhere in the wilderness...

Vortex gazed over his assembled forces. Over the last weeks, his Auras had been working constantly to build up their supply of Shades, both normal and Dust-infused. They had also sent the White Fang into hiding, the group hadn't made any moves for several days.

In front of Vortex lay a detailed map of Vale. Now that the White Fang were dealt with, the next target should have been the EDC, but there was something making him hesitate. Blackwill. As long as the EDC had a Bloodline of their own, an assault on the city would prove costly. He would have to plan his actions carefully.

Charles had been dragged along by the two Schnee sisters to enjoy the Vytal festival. Since Weiss had been unavailable during the tournament, the siblings felt they hadn't spent enough time together. The festival was bursting with activity, Charles kept having to dodge running children and inebriated patrons.

"Mr. Blackwill?" Winter's voice jumped him out of his thoughts. She was eying him oddly, "I'm sorry if it seems like Weiss and I are ignoring you. You've been very quiet."

"Oh, no." He said, "I'm just taking in the sights."

"Are you sure? We can-"

"Winter," Charles laughed, "I'm fine. You don't need to go out of your way for me."

"Still...it doesn't feel right to bring you along and then just drag you around."

"I'll be alright. You might want to keep an eye on Weiss, though. She's wandering off." Charles pointed at the younger Schnee, who was admiring a stall selling handmade trinkets inlaid with Dust.

"Just let me know if you think of something you want to do or see, okay?" Winter smiled kindly.

"Alright." The older sister walked over the stall her sibling was investigating. Charles smiled to himself. Despite his best efforts to remind himself that Weiss and Winter were not his children, he often treated them as if they were. He still couldn't understand how Calder wasn't proud to have such intelligent and strong daughters. He shook his head. He wondered how his own kids were doing. Was the war still going? Or had the costly battle that had brought the EDC to Remnant been able to start to bring an end to the conflict?

 _Hey, Pops? Have you managed to hear anything from Jerloh?_ He thought to himself, leaning against a wall out of the way. He made sure to keep an eye on Winter and Weiss.

 _No._ The voice replied. _But we have discovered something._

 _What?_

 _Several of our number cannot be contacted._

 _And souls don't just up and vanish._

 _Yes. It is possible that_ _we have somehow been split from the rest of our Bloodline._

 _Yet we're still at full power?_

 _That is correct. We have their strength and knowledge, but not their voices._ Charles nodded to himself. Part of being a Bloodline was the ability to speak to the previous inheritors of the power, both living and dead. Charles had hoped that he might be able to speak to his son, even across whatever separated them. However, it seemed like even his power had its limits.

"Mr. Blackwill, are you okay?" Charles looked up at the Schnee sisters, who had walked back over to where he stood. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, Winter. Just thinking about home a little." He pushed himself off the wall. "We are we off to next?"

"Weiss and I were thinking of stopping for some lunch."

"Sounds nice. Lead the way."

* * *

Winter and Weiss could not, for the life of them, figure out where to eat. After a lifetime of being shuttled about to high-class restaurants and fancy events, the Schnee sisters had a difficult time picking from the sudden myriad of choices laid out by their newly gained freedom. Charles hadn't thought about it at the time, but this festival was as much of a new experience for the two girls as it was for him in a way.

They eventually gave up and looked to him for a decision, to which he shrugged and simply asked what they felt like eating. In order to rescue them from standing around in the middle of the sidewalk, Winter and Weiss finally agreed to eat at a diner-like establishment. Upon being seated and handed a menu, Charles quickly noted that it was traditional food by any means: hamburgers and other such familiar things. He noticed that Weiss was trying, and failing, to conceal an excited look on her face.

"What's with the smile, Weiss?"

"It's just...Father never let us go to places like this. It's...nice."

* * *

Erwin hung from his wrists in a small cell. Ever since Solaris had captured him, he'd been subjected to all sorts of horrible things. Severe burns covered his back and torso, numerous cuts and gashes were scattered all over him, and he was now missing the pinky and ring fingers on his left hand. It seemed that Solaris took a special delight in prying the Faunus boy for information, even though Erwin hadn't offered any resistance after the first few times.

Now, the ex-White Fang just stared emptily at the cold metal floor of his cell. The door hissed, alerting him to someone entering. Heavy footsteps told him it was a member of the Order, accompanied by the pattering of Fenrir feet.

 _What does he want now?_

"Good afternoon, Erwin." said a voice that was not Solaris'. It was much worse.

"L-lord Vortex..."

"You wouldn't happen to know of any way into Vale, would you?" The Lord's tone was calm, but Erwin could feel the anger and malice behind it. Testing his patience would just get the Faunus killed.

"T-there was a sewer access along the S-South wall of the city...W-we used it t-to smuggle supplies in and out of Vale..."

"Good. Thank you for your assistance." Vortex exited the room without another word, leaving Erwin to try to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"Solaris." Vortex called as he exited the room.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"The boy was nowhere near as uncooperative as you made it seem." Vortex slammed the Knight into the wall with a blast of wind, bringing the man to his knees. "Remember that he is an asset. If I catch you fulfilling an agenda that puts that asset at risk again...well, you know the consequences."

"O-of course, my Lord. But I merely-"

"Not another word. Tell a healer to fix his injuries, then assemble some troops."

"Right away, my Lord!" Solaris picked himself up off the floor and jogged down the hallways. As he ran, the Knight was befuddled with Vortex. He had killed hundreds of men and women in his time, why had he extended Erwin mercy? He'd slaughtered his own men more than once for treason back on Earth. What had come over him?

* * *

Erwin vaguely noted the door opening again, a girl in Order armor stepping in. She had long flowing orange hair, and emerald green eyes. She was accompanied by Vortex himself. Was this girl some sort of new torturer? She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his forehead. What was she doing? Was she going to-heal him?

The young fox-eared boy felt his skin mesh back together, it didn't hurt, it was more of an itch. He looked down at himself, seeing that the cuts and bruises were gone, leaving him looking unharmed, aside from-

"I'm sorry." The girl said in a soft voice, "I couldn't save your fingers..." She was right, Erwin's missing pinky and ring finger were still gone, but at least the wound where they had been removed had closed.

"T-thanks..." He croaked out. A metal hand extended to Erwin, holding a cup and straw up to him. Wait, was Vortex-

"Drink." The Lord ordered. Well, Erwin wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. After the boy had finally gotten a decent drink of water, his first in days, Vortex turned to the girl. "Release him from the chains. Then see to it that his wounds are fully healed." He spun on his heel and strode out of the cell, leaving Erwin alone with the rather pretty girl.

"You're lucky, you know." She started as she undid his shackles to the wall. "I've never seen Lord Vortex order someone to be healed before. He must like you."

"W-why? D-doesn't he think I'm an animal, like S-Sol-" Uttering his torturer's name was difficult.

"I couldn't tell you. But, I don't think you qualify as an animal..."

"W-what?" Was this girl...being...nice?

"I mean, you have an aura, right? Back in our home, only Humans have one, and even then, not many of them. So if you have an aura, then you're definitely not an animal."

 _That's...an odd way of looking at it..._ Erwin thought as she undid the other shackle. He dropped to the ground as it came loose, impacting the metal floor.

"Ah! Sorry!" The girl helped him sit straight. "Guess I should've warned you first."

"H-how did someone like you end up in the Order?" Erwin asked as she looked over him for injuries.

"...I wanted revenge...A lot of us did..." She replied...sadly? The Faunus boy was confused, since he had been locked up, he had had nothing but hate for the Order...and yet, he was this girl and Vortex showing him mercy and kindness? It didn't make any sense.

"Revenge? For what?" Erwin decided to try to understand what was happening around him.

"Back home...Auras, people like us, were killed by normal people...just because we were different, and they were scared of us. They...hunted us, like we were animals. The Order formed so we could fight back..." Erwin was surprised. The formation of the Order was quite similar to some of the events that had driven the violence now prevalent in the White Fang.

"I-I think I can u-understand some of that..." He muttered comfortingly. If it were anyone else, Erwin probably would've put a reassuring hand on their shoulder, but he was not going to risk losing a whole hand by touching a member of the Order. "W-why did you join?"

"I watched a handful of normal Humans kill my parents. They begged for mercy, but those...monsters just laughed and shot them both. I only lived because I hid in a closet." Erwin saw a fat tear roll down her cheek, she turned away. Erwin hesitated, then let his inner chivalry take over, and put a hand on the crying girl.

"Um...What's your name? I'm Erwin." She looked up at him with a surprised expression.

"I- Zephyr."

"No, I mean- your real name..."

"I can't give you that...I'm sorry...part of joining the Order was leaving that behind."

"Oh, I see...Um, is it alright if I call you Zephyr, then?"

"Yes, that's fine." She nodded. "I know we're meeting under weird circumstances, Erwin, but I hope we can be friends..."

* * *

 _He's here._ _We can sense hi_ _m_ _._ The old man's voice said. After finishing their food, Charles and the sisters had headed back towards Beacon. They had been considering whether to invite the rest of Weiss' team to play some games with them.

 _Alright._ "Sorry, girls, I just remembered something I had to do." Charles said. "You both keep heading back. I'll catch up."

"Oh, we can come with you if you'd like." Winter said with a smile.

"Nah, I'll be alright. Just head back to the academy."

"If that's what you want..." She sounded a bit disappointed. Charles waved to the two girls as they walked into the distance. Once they were out of sight, he ducked into an empty alleyway.

 _Where is he?_

 _Just North of here. He is making no attempt to conceal his energy._

 _He's_ _waiting for us, then._

 _I would assume so, yes._ Charles flared his ability, letting his wings unfurl in all their blazing glory. After making sure that it was clear, he took off into the sky. He hovered in the air for a moment, searching for-there. A black dot atop one of the roofs of a building. Charles descended, landing with a small tap on the cement structure. Vortex turned to face him.

"That was quick. Hello, Charles. It's been a long time." The Lord greeted casually.

"Why are you here?"

"To challenge you to single combat. You cannot be in more than one place, so while you fight me, Solaris will lead a team to eliminate the EDC."

"I see you're still as arrogant as ever."

"No, this was simply the optimal plan of action." Vortex unsheathed his blade. Charles pulled his shortsword from its hidden placement under his coat. "I will fight you fairly, Charles, as a courtesy to an old friend."

"I will do the same...Lem."

* * *

 **A/N: There we go. Took a little longer to get everything organized, but I think I'm happy with how it turned out.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Stevealio: It has a railgun, is that close enough?**


	35. Chapter 34

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 34

The attack had started out of nowhere. Shades had begun to essentially drop from the sky at Beacon, heading straight for any EDC soldiers they spotted. The Beacon staff and students, along with Luna, Firo, Carbon, and the Atlas forces, protected the interior of the academy. Alex had led a group to defend the main entrance, which they were currently holding. Fyres had managed to mobilize the armored vehicles, and was working on routing the Shades with brute force. Alex had gotten in contact with Arthur as well, and the Guardian was assisting Fyres by taking down priority targets, specifically any Acolytes or Knights that decided to join the fight.

"Fenrir pack at two!" An EDC trooper yelled, bringing his rifle to bear on the charging wolf Shades. Dimitri had set up his light machine gun atop a cement planting box he and Alex were using for cover, taking controlled sprays with the weapon every time something wandered too close.

The resounding boom of a heavy tank cannon on the other side of the academy grounds told them Fyres had run into another enemy group. On cue, the radio crackled to life.

"Major, we jus' cleared the South side o' contacts."

"Good job, Fyres. Move on to the East, then circle back to the West side, we could use the help." Alex said, firing a burst into an oncoming Fenrir. "They're just throwing the small ones at us right now. You run into anything larger?"

"A couple o' Wyverns got the drop on us a while ago. Dropped another one of the Vanguards."

"Dammit. Alright, keep moving."

"Aye, aye. Over an' out." Alex switched channels. "Arthur. How're you doing?"

"Fine for now, but I think we know why you and Fyres are only getting the small fry. Second they saw us, every Acolyte and Knight came gunning for my team."

"Do you need me to route Fyres to you?"

"It'd be appreciated." Alex heard the sound of metal contacting metal. "Sooner would be better than later."

"Help's on the way." The soldier switched his frequency back to Fyre's. "Captain, I need you to send a couple of the Dragonflies over to help the Guardians, Order took special interest in them."

"Aye, I'm on it. I'll route the Albatross back to the entrance as well."

"Thanks, Fyres."

"Don' mention it." Alex's head snapped up at the sound of a distant explosion. A large cloud of dust and smoke had been thrown into the air from somewhere down in Vale.

"Now what?"

* * *

Charles locked blades with Vortex, neither gaining any advantage over the other. Each strike made by their opponent was parried or blocked with ease. The Lord attempted to gain the upper hand with his ability, sending a blast of wind at Charles, blowing away large chucks of concrete from the roof.

Charles threw a glance over his shoulder at the roads below. Once his fight with Vortex had started, the people below had vacated the area with relieving haste. He hoped Winter and Weiss had managed to avoid getting caught up in this mess. He rolled to the side to avoid a vertical slash from his opponent. The inheritor of the Terror Bloodline threw his hand toward Vortex, using an invisible force to smash the Lord into the side of the adjacent building. Charles took the luxury of the distance between them to concentrate and flare his ability.

"Getting serious, are we?" Vortex coughed and spat out a glob of blood. Bright green symbols lit themselves across the Lord's armor, in response to him releasing his own ability. Dark clouds gathered overhead. Charles readied himself as powerful winds swirled and roared around them. Glass exploded from the windows of nearby buildings.

They closed on each other in an instant, both moving faster than humanly possible. Vortex was a blur, striking multiple times within the span of a second. Charles pushed him back with a blast of energy, followed up with a searing ball of purple flame. The sphere exploded on impact, creating a gaping crater in the roof they fought on.

* * *

Winter stared at the swirling clouds in the sky. She and Weiss hadn't made it back to Beacon, as all the transports to the academy were grounded. No pilot would fly near the school while it was under attack. Echoing blasts erupted from back in Vale, pillars of violet flames and flashes of violent winds ripped the walls and roofs off buildings. Even from the landing pad, Winter and Weiss could see the mounting destruction being caused by two small glowing dots in the distance.

Weiss grit her teeth. She hated the feeling of helplessness that had cemented itself in her chest. She couldn't help her team at the academy, and going to help Mr. Blackwill seemed like suicide, judging from the amount of destroyed buildings the two distant combatants were leaving in their wake.

She looked to Winter, who seemed fixated on the battle in the city.

"Winter, are you worried about Mr. Blackwill?"

"Considering that he's one of the one's fighting out there, yes."

"He is?" Weiss said. Neither Winter or Charles had said anything before. "Which one?"

"The violet one that keeps sending out flames. It's his ability that we mentioned." Winter pointed to the small glow in the skyline as it threw the opposing green light high into the air, then brought it crashing down into the ground.

"The..."Bloodline" ability, right?" The term had come up multiple times, but Weiss hadn't seen it in action until now. She watched the two lights smash into each other over and over, crumbling the buildings around them. Unbidden thoughts of all the Charles had done for her and Winter came to the forefront of her mind.

 _Fine. Suicidal route it is._ Weiss drew her rapier from its location on her waist.

"Weiss what are you doing?" Winter grabbed her shoulder as she moved to leave.

"What do you think? Saving the father we never had." The older Schnee's face broke into a smile as she drew her own weapon from her belt, an ornate fencing saber.

"We'd best not keep him waiting then."

* * *

"Dammit! Fyres! Report!" Alex yelled into the radio. Something, he wasn't sure what, had gone wrong. He'd lost all contact with both Arthur and Fyres, and now the Order's full force was concentrated on the gate. At this point, he started to expect the worst. "Ryland! Wyvern at twelve!"

The young soldier squared his prosthetic arm at the incoming Shade. He pushed a conical iron slug into a slot on the top of the limb's forearm.

"Firing!" Ryland's arm flew back as it launched the metal projectile at the Wyvern, which was literally blown to pieces by the bullet. "I've got Banshees coming in from the right!"

"D, cover him!" The Russian obliged, turning his machine gun on the cloaked creatures, which died whilst emitting their bone-chilling shrieks. Alex pressed a finger to his radio. "Anika. Two Acolytes coming right down the path, can you-" He was answered by two rapid rifle cracks, which dropped both Order soldiers with precise shots to the head. "Nice shooting." The sniper and the Guardians had all switched back to their normal armor. Anika had used her suit's jump jets to hop onto the roof of one of Beacon's many towers, where she had been pick off anything that posed the most significant threat.

The Albatross hovered menacingly above the main entrance to the academy, its two sets of dual forty-millimeter cannons leaving smoking holes in the Order forces.

"Sir," The pilot of the large aircraft contacted Alex over the radio, "I've got a visual on one of the Guardians, fighting what looks like an Order Knight, to North-West of your location."

"I'll try to raise Arthur again. Thanks, pilot."

"Not a problem, Major. I'll get back to shredding." Alex swapped channels.

"Arthur! Are you there? Arthur!" No response.

"Yo, Bossman! Take cover!" Ryland yelled. Alex dove to the side as a fast-moving blur smashed into the ground he had been occupying. The blur had been an Order soldier, a Knight, and one Alex recognized as Solaris. He leveled his weapon at the Knight's head, noticing numerous dents and scratches in his armor. Alex began to pull the trigger.

"Alex! He's mine." The Major turned as Arthur blew through the enemy's flank, storming towards the downed Solaris. The Guardian had a painful-looking gash across his forehead, likely from the Knight's mace, and no helmet, which explained why Alex had been unable to contact him.

Solaris groaned as he pushed himself off his back and raised his hands.

"I surrender."

"What?" Alex asked incredulously, still keeping his rifle centered on the Knight.

"I surrender. I am now a prisoner of war. Your own regulations now prevent you from-" Alex's rifle spit a bullet into his gut. "-ah-gah!"

"We aren't on Earth anymore, Solaris. There's no EDC holding cell we can shove you in." Arthur nodded his thanks to Alex, then drew a pistol from his thigh.

"Wait- I can give you information, locations, any-" Arthur shot him through the skull without hesitation.

"You can pay with that." The Guardian spat, holstering the smoking sidearm. He turned back towards the battle. "I'll help finish up the rest..."

* * *

Vortex growled angrily. This was getting frustrating. He and Charles kept exchanging blows, but never landing any injuries. Even though Vortex was much faster, Charles had his kinesis, which kept the melee-reliant Lord at a distance. The winds in their general area were creating a deafening roar, whipped up by Vortex's status as the Bloodline of Wind. The gales served not only as a method of attack, though Charles was quite adept at dodging those too, but also as a defense, as they blew out most of Charles' flames quickly.

They had effectively leveled the block of Vale they had been fighting in. The once proud and beautiful four-story structures had been reduced to nothing but loose stone and dust. Despite his frustration, Vortex felt...good. One of the few joys he had in life anymore was combat with worthy opponents. Back on Earth, he'd had mixed feelings when he had received the order to kill Charles. On one hand, the two of them were no longer friends, having split when Vortex, Lem at the time, had joined the Order. Charles had begged him not to go, to remember the teachings of peace their teacher had drilled into them. He hadn't listened, of course. Then, the benefit was the kill order had struck him. He would be able to test himself against his old rival in a battle to the death. At the time, the thought exhilarated him, more than he had felt in years.

Then the High Lord at the time, Esprit, had stapled Chaos to him, saying that there was no room for failure. Vortex thought very little of the Bloodline of Discord, the inheritor was a sadistic young brat, who enjoyed toying with his prey more than testing his might. Chaos had been the one to kill Charles, using an illusion to create an opening. In a way, this fight was the one Vortex had been looking forward to.

"I see death hasn't dulled your edge..." Vortex panted.

"And you're still as fast as ever, Lem..." Charles breathed. "I think we might both be getting old though..."

"Such is the slow decay of time." the Lord chuckled to himself. The radio in his helmet crackled.

"My Lord! The enemy has rallied and is pushing us back. What are your orders?"

"Where is Solaris?" Vortex demanded as he and Charles exchanged more blows.

"Dead, my Lord. A Guardian team was among the EDC forces."

"That complicates things. What are the losses so far?" The rapid clanging of swords clashing continued, though Vortex had moved into a more defensive stance while he spoke.

"We have lost eight, six Acolytes and two Knights. We managed to cripple a number of the EDC's vehicles, but we don't know how many of their troops we've killed."

"We'll cut our losses for today. Pull back."

"At once, my Lord." The call switched off. "Well, Charles, our duel has been enjoyable, but I believe this is where it ends." Vortex raised and hand to the sky. The dark clouds began to swirl angrily.

* * *

Winter and Weiss stopped in their tracks as they witnessed a funnel-like cloud descend from the sky. As it touched down, it ripped the nearby houses to shreds, pulled cars off the road and into the air. Weiss said something Winter could not hear over the roar of the wind. The older sister pointed to her ears and shook her head. Weiss nodded understandingly, then pointed to the two glowing dots being pulled into the spiraling vortex.

Winter was at a loss. They had come this far to help, but now they couldn't get close enough to-wait. Winter had an idea. She pulled Weiss off to the side, where they had a chance of hearing each other.

"I think I know how we can give Mr. Blackwill an opening."

"How?"

"That pendant you got earlier is inlaid with fire Dust, right?" The younger girl had purchased one of the Dust-inlaid trinkets from earlier in the day. Weiss suddenly understood her sister's plan.

"If we launch it with one of my glyphs..."

"Exactly. It seems we're on the same page."

"Great minds think alike." Weiss smiled proudly. The two sisters returned to the road, where the younger sister used her semblance to create a single floating glyph. Once it was ready, she handed the pendant around her neck to Winter. "I hope this works..."

* * *

Charles found himself tumbling within the tornado, having to use his kinesis to avoid being hit by flying debris. Vortex was otherwise unaffected by the swirling winds, taking his time to land hits on the now helpless Charles. The Bloodline of Fear heard the faint sound of a fast-moving object cutting through the wind. A small round pendant with a slight red-tinted shine ripped through the side of the twister, before being caught by the air currents and carried around in a spiral.

Charles reached out with his kinesis, grabbing the pendant and pulling it to him. He held the item in his left hand, he had a good idea how it got here.

"Thanks, girls." He readied himself. A soaring chuck of concrete came towards him, which he grabbed onto and stood on top of. He waited, listening for any sign of his opponent's next attack. There, a clank of armor. Charles whirled around blocking the Lord's strike from behind, then swiftly placing the hand with the pendant against Vortex's chest. He pulsed a burst of flame into the trinket. The Lord looked down at the glowing object in clear horror.

"Game over, Lem."

* * *

Winter and Weiss saw a massive blast of violet and red flame erupt from within the interior of the tornado. The swirling clouds dissipated as the green glow was launched out of the vortex at blinding speeds, straight into the ground. The violet dot hung in the air for a moment, before plummeting to the earth below as well.

"Mr. Blackwill!" Winter and Weiss both ran to the location as fast as they could. Upon arriving, they were greeted by completely flattened terrain. No building within the area had been left standing.

"Winter, watch out!" Weiss pulled her older sibling to the side as a large chuck of concrete smashed into the ground. The two sisters took cover under a large piece f rubble that had already landed, what looked like the whole side of one of the buildings. They scanned for Charles among the mess.

"I see him!" Winter ran out of the cover to a form laying face-down on the ground. Weiss followed closely behind her, keeping an eye out for any more falling debris. "Mr. Blackwill, are you alright?" He groaned in response.

"Still alive." He said, pushing himself off the dirt. His trusty coat was freshly scorched, and large burns covered his neck and arms. He coughed, spitting out blood.

"Let's get you help." Winter said, putting Charles' arm over her shoulder.

"It's not over yet. If I didn't die from that, neither did he." The clanking of armor moved towards them unsteadily. From behind a piece of rubble, Vortex limped into the open, his chest plate was melted and bent, pieces of his shoulder pads and gauntlets had been blown away, and blood seeped from the cracks in the plating.

"An excellent move, Charles." The Lord coughed violently.

"Why are you doing this, Lem?"

"LEM!?" Weiss shrieked.

"Not now, Weiss." Charles waved a hand for her to be quiet. "The war doesn't have to continue here. You can end it."

"Yes, I can. And when Humans like those in the EDC are dead, it will be over."

"Look around you, Lem! What has joining the Order brought you beside destruction?"

"You know what it has allowed me, Charles."

"Killing the EDC and anyone else in your way won't-"

"I KNOW!" Vortex roared.

"Then why do you keep fighting? Why kill so many?"

"Oh, are you referring to the White Fang? I removed them, because they were a potential obstacle, I couldn't risk them allying with the EDC." Vortex shrugged. "I deemed their deaths necessary for victory, but I took no pleasure in their end." He raised an arm into the air. "I grow weary of this conversation. Until next time, Charles." A Wyvern swooped out of the sky and grabbed the Lord by his arm, lifting him off the ground. Charles moved to try to stop him, but clutched his abdomen as pain jolted through him.

"Mr. Blackwill. We need to get you some medical attention." Winter said, holding his arm in an attempt to steady him. Weiss looked positively confused.

"That...was Lem?...Your friend? I thought you said he was dead." Winter helped Charles begin the long walk back to a landing pad. Weiss followed along, offering her own shoulder to help support the Bloodline as well.

"He may have Lem's face...but Vortex...is not my friend. Lem suddenly...joined up with the Order one day. The rest of us knew that meant...he would be killing thousands on innocent people. Lem died that day...replaced by a Lord."

"But...you still called him Lem..."

"There's a part of me that hopes...my friend is still in there...somewhere...I'm sorry...for keeping this from you both..."

"No, it's fine." Weiss shook her head. "I can understand wanting to keep some things quiet."

"And after all you've done for us," Winter continued, "I think you're entitled to a few secrets" The sisters smiled kindly at him.

"Thank you. Both of you..."

* * *

Alex grabbed another pair of tags off of a fallen STRD soldier, another dead on his watch. There were many dead today, perhaps not as many as the battles on Earth had claimed, but still too many. The Major had received news of his worst fears. Fyres was dead, having climbed into a burning tank to help the operators escape, a Banshee had apparently gotten him while his back was turned. Arthur was now the sole member of Guardian team Theta, Nathan and Miko had both fallen fighting Solaris and the other Order soldiers, though they had taken six of the eight dead Order troops with them. Of the original forty-eight Earth forces, only fourteen now remained.

Their ground forces had taken a beating, only one tank and two Vanguards remained, accompanied by four of the six Light Combat Vehicles. Any Talon drones they had managed to deploy had been destroyed.

The air units had fared no better. The lone operable Albatross had held its ground through the whole fight, but had run itself low on ammunition and had a damaged front right turbine. The Wasp fighter had survived as well, though its pilot looked quite shaken, having been flying solo for most of the day against hordes of Shades. Only one of the five Dragonflies had made it, the other four being too slow to avoid being ganged up on by Wyverns.

Alex sighed. Even though they had survived, those that remained did little better than the dead. Looks he had seen many times back home had spread across the remaining forces. Even Ryland was silently staring at the ground. Alex noticed Yang and Carbon sprint over to the young soldier, the former throwing her arms around him. Dimitri seemed to be in a similar situation with Blake and Firo, who were both checking him over for injuries.

"Alex..." He turned to the voice. Ruby and Luna stood slightly behind him to his right.

"I'm alright." He said. Ruby grabbed him around the chest.

"I'm glad you're okay...I thought-" Alex stroked the girl's hair in an attempt to calm her. Luna also wrapped him in an embrace.

"Alex. You're..."

"I know..." She was referring to the fact he was spattered with blood from his comrades.

"What're we going to do?" Luna seemed lost amongst the sight of so much bloodshed.

"I don't know." The three of them stared out at the destruction around them. Alex saw Arthur talking to a rabbit-eared student, who burst into tears and gave him a tight hug. Alex saw tears fall from the Guardian's eyes. Dimitri was patting the backs of both girls that had clung onto him. Ryland looked like he was having his bones broken in Yang's grasp. "Luna...did any Shades get into the school?"

"A few...they...caught a few students by surprise...and-" She didn't need to say any more. Alex came to a decision, he knew what they had to do.

* * *

As the cleanup of the academy progressed, Alex and Dimitri gathered in a small group with the remaining forces that had come with them from Earth. The Major looked them over: Dimitri, Ryland, Arthur, Anika, himself, and nine others: three pilots, one other STRD member, and five member's of Fyres' platoon.

 _There're barely any of us left..._ "Who's in command of the Tweflth Armored now?"

"Me, sir." A woman raised her hand. "Corporal Landric. I don't have any command experience though...so, I'd like to defer to you, since you're the ranking officer."

"What's the plan, Bossman?" Ryland asked from his seat on the side of a planting box.

"STRD wasn't built for defense, and we can't involve the people of Remnant any more than we have already." There were nods of approval from all present. Many of them had made friends among the staff, students, and visiting Atlesians since they had arrived. "Most of you aren't STRD, but I'll do my best to teach you what we do best. Everyone, we're going hunting."

* * *

 **A/N: And this marks the end of the first arc of this story! Depending on how quickly I sort my thoughts out, I may not post tomorrow. Chapter 35 will be up as soon as possible.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Dimas15: Neo and Roman are still working for Vortex at this time, collecting Dust and supplies for him. Until something involving them happens, just assume they're carrying on as usual.**

 **That Guy: Okay, long reply time. Yes, all the information and lore surrounding the Guardians, EDC, and the Order is my original work. For the last several years, I've accumulated pages upon pages of notes, slowly refining that universe over time. It's undergone several revisions, having started out as an "angels and demons" type story originally, before being completely reworked into a fantasy/sci-fi setting.**

 **Recently, a couple friends and I have been working on attaining the necessary skills to animate stories for this universe. So who knows, if we manage to keep with it, you might see Alex and Dimitri on screen someday.**

 **As for the second review, that's not even remotely a problem. It took me a couple years plus this story to finally sit down and make an account.**


	36. Chapter 35

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 35

Ruby was getting worried. After the attack on Beacon, Alex and the other members of the EDC had isolated themselves. She had asked Luna what was happening, the blue-haired security guard had apparently been kept out of the loop as well. It wasn't just them either, Firo and Blake hadn't seen Dimitri in days, and Yang had been getting anxious about Ryland's similar lack of appearance. In fact, the only people from Earth that any of them had seen were Charles, because he was recovering in the infirmary, and Arthur, who was accelerating the former's healing process with his ability.

The young girl in a red cloak wandered around outside the workshop building the EDC was holed up in. She could hear the sounds of work being done, but she had been unable to gain entry. A hand tapped her shoulder. It was Ozpin, the headmaster had a solemn look in his eyes.

"Hello, Professor..." Ruby said before turning back to stare at the building.

"Miss Rose, you will want to follow me. I've already called the other relevant parties to...say their farewells." He walked towards the workshop.

"Farewells? Professor, what-" Ruby jogged after the headmaster. The man stopped at the door to the building and knocked twice.

"Mr. Greene?" The entrance swung inward, revealing a very tired looking Alex.

"Evening, sir..."

"It's morning, Mr. Greene."

"Is it? Must've lost track again...Ruby?" Alex noticed the small girl standing behind Ozpin. Before she could say anything, the headmaster waved a hand.

"Miss Rose, perhaps you should let Mr. Green explain what's happening after the others have arrived." She nodded and stepped into the workshop behind Ozpin. The building was exceedingly warm from the accumulated heat of the tools being used. Ruby noticed a second Albatross sitting next to the other, though both were in the process of undergoing final repairs. The door behind her opened, and a group stepped in. Luna, Carbon, Firo, Blake, and Yang. Ruby assumed Weiss and her sister must be with Charles.

"They're here." Ozpin turned slightly as the group entered. "Mr. Greene, if you would..."

"Yeah, hold on..." Alex walked to the two aircraft, returning with Dimitri and Ryland in tow. He cleared his throat. "After what happened...we realized that we can't allow the people of Remnant to suffer in a war that isn't theirs. So, the EDC will fight its battles elsewhere, away from Vale."

"You're leaving!?" Luna asked. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Optimally, we'll track down the remaining members of the Order and eliminate them. After that, any of us that are left may return to Beacon."

"'Any of you that are left'!?" Yang whipped her head towards Ryland, who opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it.

"Yang," Alex continued, "the Order isn't an enemy that can be beaten without losses. We learned that a long time ago. We just want you to know that we're leaving to keep the rest of you safe-"

Shockingly, Blake was the one to shout, though it was targeted at Dimitri. "WHO DO YOU SAVE BY GETTING YOURSELVES KILLED?" she shrieked. "If you all die, then the Order will just kill all of us anyway!"

"Blake-" Dimitri started, then stopped. He was at a loss for what to say.

"Take us with you." Firo spoke up adamantly. "This is our fight now just as much as yours."

"That's right," Carbon nodded and looked Ryland in the eye, "How about it, Kid?"

"Sorry, Gramps. Not this time." The youngest EDC soldier whispered. "I wish we could, but Bossman's right. This is something _we_ have to finish, and we don't want you guys getting hurt in the process." Ruby realized that the soldiers weren't going to budge on their decision. Looking at Alex made her heart drop. It was like watching her mother leave home for the last time. Ruby turned and ran from the building as fast as she could, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks as she sprinted.

"Ruby!" Yang ran after her. Ryland watched the blonde girl leave, looking like he wanted to follow her, but he stood still. Dimitri spoke to the remaining friends assembled in front of them.

"We won't ask you to completely understand. We know there's a very real possibility that none of us will come back. That's why we want to say good bye before we leave." Firo and Blake looked at him sadly. "Firo, you've been an amazing comrade and friend. I'm glad to have met you. Blake...when we visited your parents...I made them a promise. I vowed that I would not let any harm come to you. You're a brilliant young woman, and I want to make sure you survive to have a future." He reached a hand out to them. Firo gently took it, but Blake froze in place. Dimitri saw the dark expression on her face, a mixture of anger, despair, and betrayal.

"Harm doesn't have to be physical."

* * *

Alex fared little better than Dimitri had. Ryland was being laid into by Carbon about how stupid is was of them to go off with only a handful of people. Luna was the hardest to deal with. Unlike the others, she didn't yell or beg for them to stay, instead, the blue-haired girl Alex had come to know just stared at him and cried. Alex had been unable to remain professional, and had wrapped Luna in an embrace. He apologized for having to leave, for leaving her behind.

The other conversations came to similar conclusions. Ryland and Carbon shook hands, the latter threatening to kill Ryland if he died. Dimitri gave both Firo and Blake warm embraces as the two Faunus girls teared up. Alex wished he had seen another way. Their friends eventually filed out of the workshop, herded along by Ozpin, who threw an understanding glance over his shoulder. Once the door closed behind them, the three soldiers returned to work. Dimitri and Ryland moved with corpse-like slowness, as if the world seemed less bright to them. Alex took a moment to stare out at the broken moon through one of the building's skylights. Tomorrow, they would leave. And the war would start anew.

"Farewell, Beacon."

* * *

The next morning rolled around far too soon. Alex had barely slept, kept up by guilt. Ruby and Luna's faces were stuck in his head. Judging from Dimitri and Ryland's postures, Alex assumed the two must have been in a similar situation. Final preparations were underway. The vehicles and supplies were being loaded onto the Albatrosses and lone Dragonfly.. The small transport was serving primarily as their supply cache, while the two heavy transports were re-outfitted to function as a pair of mobile barracks. Dimitri had insisted on adding more beds and facilities to the Albatrosses than they needed, in case they somehow found any additional EDC forces. And, of course the sole Wasp fighter at their disposal would act as a scout.

Alex would be riding aboard on of the Albatrosses, along with Dimitri, Anika, Ryland, Charles, Arthur, their pilot, and any supplies they couldn't fit on the Dragonfly. The other Albatross was being commanded by the one other STRD member that had survived, Sergeant Macmillan, though everybody insisted on calling him Mac. Most of the forces were in the other Albatross, since they needed proximity to their vehicles.

Alex sighed to himself. The quarters they had made inside the large transports weren't uncomfortable, being quite roomy compared to the barracks back on Earth. At least there were walls between each "room" they had partitioned. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling like something was...missing.

* * *

Dimitri threw a glance over his shoulder as he boarded the Albatross. The plaza behind him remained empty. He sighed, picking up the final supply crate off the ground and stepping onto the aircraft. The door closed behind him and the muffled whine of the engines could be heard as they started. The Russian set the crate down with the others of its kind, then worked his way to the impromptu command center behind the cockpit.

Alex and Anika were both observing a detailed holographic map of the areas outside of Vale. From what Dimitri could see, the land outside the kingdom's walls was widely untouched, with dense forests covering much of the terrain. Ryland had set up a small workstation in a corner, where he was attempting to repair one of their last Talon drones.

"So, where do we start?" Anika asked aloud as she stared at the map.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. We're probably going to have to sweep the entire region to find wherever Vortex is hiding." Alex shrugged. "If we had better intelligence on the land, we might be able to pick out likely spots, but it's not like we can spare the manpower right now."

"So we do this the hard way." Dimitri joined the conversation. "Just like old times."

"It's what STRD was made for." Alex nodded. The command center console let out a beep. Alex pressed a button to open up the incoming call.

"Everything good on your end, Major?" the voice of Mac came over the console. "We're running fine over here."

"No issues on our end either." Alex thought of something. "Hey, Mac, you served with an EDC Recon platoon before joining STRD, right?"

"Yes, sir, that's correct."

"Any ideas where someone might hide a base in terrain like this?"

"Considering its mostly forest, it could unfortunately be just about anywhere. More defensible positions would be natural formations, like caves, but it sounds like those Grimm things like hanging around those."

"Thanks Mac, it's a start."

"No problem, Major. Over and out." The call switched off.

* * *

As the day progressed, the EDC continued their journey to their first potential location, a series of caves tucked into the side of a mountain. Alex leaned back against the wall of the cockpit, staring out at the sea of trees beneath them. The pilot turned and looked at him.

"Slow day. Right, sir?"

"Something like that..." Alex nodded.

"I'm surprised we haven't run into any of those Grimm yet. We've been out here for a whole day, but the sensors haven't even picked up a peep."

"You're right, it has been fairly quiet. I suppose it's just less ammo we have to use."

The pilot's console beeped suddenly.

"Got a call from the other Albatross."

"Put it through." The pilot complied. "Mac?"

"Uh...Major," the STRD Sergeant's voice said, "There's a mesa up ahead...can we set down for a moment?"

"Sure, what's wrong?"

"We've got some stowaways."

* * *

"Alright. Explain yourselves." Alex crossed his arms at the eight uninvited guests. Team RWBY, the three security guards, and Winter had somehow managed to hide themselves in the lone EDC tank without anyone noticing. When the vehicle had been loaded onto the other Albatross, they'd been brought on board with it.

"We just want to help..." Ruby answered nervously.

"How did you all even get into the workshop? It was locked, and the only people with access codes are the EDC and...Ozpin. One moment. D, Charles, take over the lecture for a minute. I have to make a call." Alex pulled his scroll out of his pocket and called the headmaster's number. The device routed its signal through the long-range transmitter on the Albatross.

"Hello, Mr. Greene. I would assume that Miss Rose and the others have been found, then?"

"You want to explain why you let the kids come? I can maybe understand Luna, Firo, and Carbon. Maybe I can even understand Weiss' sister, they're all adults. But why did you let Ruby and her team follow us?"

"Because, Mr. Greene," Ozpin sighed over the call, "Team RWBY has demonstrated on multiple occasions that they will break rules to accomplish anything they set their minds to. It was impossible to keep them from leaving, I might have been able to delay them, but not stop them. If they stowed away along with your forces, they would be far safer than attempting to follow all of you on foot."

Alex sighed, "We'll bring them back and-"

"No, Mr. Greene, I have made a decision. Take the eight of them with you. None of your forces are familiar with Remnant, you will need guides. I have made the necessary arrangements for team RWBY to engage in an "extracurricular mission" by assisting you. Miss Azure, Miss Firo, and Mr. Carbon are listed as their staff supervision. As for the older Miss Schnee, well, I couldn't tell her to do anything even if I wanted to."

"You're not giving me a choice, are you?"

"That is correct, Mr. Greene. This fight is not just yours as you assumed, it became ours when the Order attacked our home and killed our people. I trust you can understand that."

"...If it gets too dangerous, I'm sending them back."

"I would want you to do nothing less." the headmaster replied. "One last item. General Ironwood has pledged his aid to both Vale and the remaining EDC forces in finding the Order and bringing them to justice. If he finds anything, I will contact you."

"Alright. Thanks, Ozpin."

"It is the least I can do. Good hunting, Mr. Greene." The call switched off. Alex walked back to the spot where their eight stowaways were being stood.

"Fine. You can stay-" The group made small cheering and victorious gestures. "-but, on two conditions. First, you do exactly what any EDC member tells you. If they tell you to hide, you hide. If they tell you to run and leave them, you do that. Understood?" They all nodded. Alex turned to Ruby. "This is a war, Ruby. We're not fighting Grimm, we're fighting people. Thi-"

"I know." Ruby cut him off. "I...don't want to kill...I don't know if I can...again...but I can fight Grimm and Shades no problem." There was fire in her eyes. Her teammates nodded with her in agreement.

"Alright...Then, there's the second condition. If you're going to fight, you're going to wear armor. We have a few spare sets that we'll distribute to each of you." Right on cue, Mac carried a crate off the Dragonfly and dropped it on the ground. "We'll have to sync the armor now, while the coast is still clear.

The students and Winter each donned the metal segments of the armor, forgoing the camouflage-pattern cloth that usually sat underneath. The olive-green metal stood out against each of them.

"Um..." Yang started. "So...is there a way to make the colors..."

"I'm on it." Ryland interrupted, pressing a few buttons on the top her armor's shoulder. Yang's armor shifted to match the yellow of her clothing. With assistance, the remaining four girls' armor soon matched their normal colors. Ruby's had shifted into her shade of rose-petal red, Blake's became a dark black, and the Schnee sisters' both turned a snow-white.

"Well," Alex said. "At least for now...Everybody, welcome to the EDC. We're glad to have you."

* * *

 **A/N: It's a little later than usual, but I finished it! No delay after all. As usual, thanks to the awesome people who have followed, left favorites, and reviewed. You're all awesome.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Dimas15: If you mean for Roman, then yeah, he's in over his head.**

 **Booklord1: Eventually, yes, Vortex and Charles' history will be touched upon more.**

 **Arukune: Well said.**

 **Nemoskull: Thanks!**


	37. Chapter 36

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 36

Vortex stood, staring blankly at the metal wall of his "office" within the hideout. Since he had recovered from his battle, the Lord had been pondering the Order's next move. Conflicts with the EDC while they had Charles would be costly, and his scouts reported the forces were now mobile, supposedly searching for him.

The Lord's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.

"You may enter." He said. The door squeaked slightly as Roman pushed it open.

"Sir." The thief greeted. "I have something that might interest you."

"Very well." Vortex turned. "What is it?"

"This." Roman held up a vial containing a Dust crystal. The Lord eyed the strange item. Unlike the slightly opaque coloration of every other sample of Dust he had seen, this crystal was perfectly clear, like glass. Roman handed him the vial.

"Dust?" Vortex raised an eyebrow underneath his helmet. "How does this help?"

"Not just any Dust. Void Dust."

"And that is?"

"This stuff is extremely rare, and it's unique compared to all other types of Dust."

"Can it be used as a weapon?"

"Er...no. But based off an old legend and something my...previous employer...discovered, you might not need it to be."

"You've gained my interest. Explain."

"Alright. There's this old legend in Remnant, that talks about an ancient temple somewhere in the world. It's said that the temple was built by a fifth kingdom, one that rivaled all the others' combined might. The king of this realm desired to fulfill his greatest desires. He constructed the temple to be powered by aura, but he needed some way to harness the raw energy of the soul. That's where Void Dust comes in. The legend says that the Void Dust acts as a catalyst to transform the energy in a person's aura into a power source for the temple."

"Did this king succeed?"

"Apparently not. The legend says the king built the temple to destroy the Grimm, but the temple heard only his deepest personal desire. The temple only heard the king's wish for his people to be safe from their enemies, so the kingdom's people were whisked away to some unknown place or plane of existence instead of killing the Grimm."

"An interesting story...but it is a mere legend, as you say."

"That's what I thought as well. Until Cinder, my old employer, found evidence that the temple actually exists. She wouldn't shut up about it for a whole day. It was her plan to use the temple as some sort of last resort. But...I had a thought when I saw this little crystal today. You seem like a fairly level-headed man. Detail oriented and all that. I would imagine someone like you could use the temple quite effectively..."

"..and we would not have to engage the EDC directly, is that what you're suggesting."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

"Hm." Vortex pondered for a moment before coming to a decision. "Very well, a less costly and hazardous plan of action is certainly more welcome than constant stalemates. Where would we find more of this Void Dust."

"Well, I stole an awful lot of Dust for our good old pals in the White Fang..."

* * *

Meanwhile, the sun had set behind the tall forested mountains outside the borders of Vale. The EDCs aircraft had set down in front of the cavern formation they had gone to investigate. After a day of searching the caves, the forces had turned up nothing aside from an abandoned Deathstalker nest. Alex sat down on the edge of the open door of one of the Albatrosses. He stared at the darkening sky. A slight weight settled next to him in the open door. He looked to his side, seeing Ruby had seated herself next to him, swinging her legs idly, as they didn't quite reach the ground.

"Hi, Ruby." Alex greeted her briefly.

"...Are you mad at me?" She questioned suddenly.

"No, but I wish you had listened." Alex paused, then addressed something that had been weighing on him. "Ruby, despite what you may think, you and I are in very different lines of work. You're training to be a hero, a defender, a champion of the people. That's not what I am. I'm a soldier. I'm used to being on the offensive, for being the person that takes the fight to an enemy. I'm not a hero."

"Nope. You're definitely a hero." Ruby shook her head.

"Ru-"

"Nope." She cut him off. "You save and protect people even if it is by being the attacker. By pushing a bad guy back, you keep all the people behind you safe. I'd say that's pretty heroic."

"You're not going to give me a chance to argue, are you?"

"Nope. Not when the argument's about something dumb." the student stated firmly. She crossed her arms. "Alex, don't spend all your time worrying about the rest of us. Make sure to take care of your self too."

"I'm fine, Ruby. I just-"

"You haven't eaten since this morning, you look like you haven't slept well in days, and-"

"Alright, I get it. Things have just been stressful lately."

"I know _that_. Just...make sure you don't get hurt, okay? I don't want to lose the cool older brother I got out of all this." Ruby didn't notice Alex flinch slightly at the word "brother".

"What?"

"I dunno..." She explained, "You've kinda watched out for me ever since you got here...and, well I guess I look at you kind of as another sibling...Is that alright?"

Alex held a long pause before replying with a kind smile. "Guess I have to watch out for my little sister then, don't I?" Ruby happily hugged his arm. Alex ruffled the girl's hair. _Looks like I'm stuck with siblings wherever I go, huh Mikey?_

* * *

As night fully enveloped the landed EDC aircraft, both soldiers and students sat down for some much deserved food and rest. Over the course of dinner, Mac brought something up. He suggested that the forces be divided into traditional three-man fireteams like back on Earth, so that everyone would have some sort of assigned team. Alex had agreed and begun to parcel out trios that he believed would work well together.

Ryland would work well with Yang and Carbon, the two heavy-hitters being able to defend the scrawny engineer if he needed to work on something in the field. Blake and Firo were both well suited for scouting and infiltration roles, and Dimitri could supply explosives expertise and a heavy weapon element if any of their missions went south. Charles...well...the Bloodline really didn't need help in most cases...but, he seemed to have taken the two Schnee sisters under his wing before Alex could say anything.

Then there was his own team, Ruby and Luna. Aside from the nagging thoughts in his head that told his to look after them both, the three of them made a well-balanced trio. Ruby was excellent at long range, Luna could handle an automatic weapon at medium, and Alex himself had a tendency to get closer to his opponents than planned.

Arthur and Anika would now work with Mac. Their two Vanguards were accompanied by Corporal Landric. This left them with five left, four of which were the three pilots and one flight-trainee, responsible for flying the aircraft. This presented a slight issue, which Alex eventually resolved by tossing Landric's team the remaining engineer, since the Vanguards could use the extra help in the field.

* * *

Following their meal, the newly formed teams split off from the main group to talk with their assigned partners. Dimitri was pulled to the side by Blake and Firo, where the three of them stood in awkward silence for several minutes.

"Dimitri..." Firo started, "We're sor-"

"No need." The Russian smiled and held up a hand. "I knew at least one of you would try to follow us. It's why I asked Alex to put in extra beds on the transports."

"You...knew?" Blake gaped at him.

"Well, I assumed, anyway." He laughed. "I wish you had stayed where it was safe..but I'm also glad that both of you are here."

"Thanks." Blake smiled.

"So...what now?" Firo asked, a wide, calm grin on her face as well.

"Since Boss wants us to act as a scouting team, I figured I'd get us these." Dimitri removed three small black boxes from a pouch on his waist. He handed one to both Blake and Firo, keeping one for himself. "These are active camouflage modules. As long as you stay perfectly still, you're as good as invisible. However, they tend to flicker if either you or the environment you're in is in motion."

"How do we use them?" Blake turned the module over in her hands.

"That's simple. Here, turn around." The student turned so the back of her armor was facing Dimitri. She handed the Russian the box in her palm. With a click, the device slotted into an open connector on the back of her right shoulder. "Next, put these on." Dimitri handed her a pair of EDC shooting glasses like the ones Firo had been using since she had lost her old Atlesian helmet. Blake put the glasses over her eyes, a quick message reading "Synchronized" flashing across the clear material.

"Now what do I do?" Blake couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of being almost invisible to the naked eye.

"Press the button on the right side of the glasses." Dimitri instructed. Blake did so, and immediately saw a wave of distortion surround her. She looked down at her arm, which was now surrounded by a mirage-like shimmer. She held still, keeping an eye on her hand. As Dimitri has said, the distortion became nearly unnoticeable. She pressed the button again to deactivate the module.

"It's an amazing tool. Thank you, Mr. Averin."

"You're welcome, Blake. Now let's get Firo hooked in."

* * *

Charles leaned against a wall inside the Albatross, while the two Schnee sisters seated themselves on Winter's bed. He sighed to himself, if the girls were going to be here, then he was going to look after them. No one else was capable of protecting them if Vortex suddenly decided to make an appearance.

"So..." Winter hesitantly began, "Lem...is alive...and he's..." She trailed off.

"Yes, Lem is Vortex."

"But, how?" Weiss asked, "You said he was dead..."

"When he joined the Order and started killing people, my friend was gone. _Something_...changed him. He wasn't always a monster..."

"What kind of person was he?" Winter inquired next.

"Back when he was still Lem? He was the straight arrow among our group of friends. While Kyle and I were stealing cars and generally being delinquents, Lem was there to straighten us out. He'd always show up at the most inopportune times, and end up getting dragged along on whatever stupid plan the rest of us concocted. And when things inevitably went wrong...well, he'd be the voice of reason in cleaning up the mess." Charles' face fell. "After we all ended up going our separate ways, I didn't hear from him for years. Then, he just...showed up one day...ranting about he was going to join the Order. There was something...broken...about him. I tried to change his mind, I even begged him to reconsider. Kyle's mother, who was the Reaper before him, had taught the kids in our town about how our powers meant we had a responsibility to watch over the people without them. Now, here was my friend, yelling about how he was going to kill the people we'd been told to protect. If he left, I knew the next time we met, we'd be on opposite sides. The next morning, he just left without another word. I didn't see him again for over a decade, and apparently, I died when I did."

"...I'm sorry..." Winter stood and took one of Charles' hands in her own.

"It's nothing you have to apologize for, Winter." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Weiss also stood, placing her palms over her sister's.

"Could you do it?" Weiss asked, "Could you really kill someone who used to be your friend?"

"It's not a matter of 'can', Weiss. If he is allowed to continue, people I care about will die. So, I _will_ kill him."

* * *

 **A/N: The next hand of cards is being dealt...yeah, that analogy doesn't really work. As usual, a big thanks to all the people dropping favorites, follows, and reviews!**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Arukune: If we're going for the chess-piece analogy...oh god, Charles is the Queen.**

 **Dimas15: Thanks!**

 **That Guy: I don't have an exact number for you, since I have a tendency to make last-minute revisions as I write. At the moment, I have chapters planned out until Chapter 41, and I try to maintain a five chapter lead on myself. I would not be surprised if this story hits somewhere within the 50-60 chapter range, but I assure you, this isn't the end quite yet.**


	38. Chapter 37

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 37

"Alex, wake up." The EDC soldier was roused from his sleep by Luna's voice. "The pilot's calling for you." He pulled his head off the top of his forearm. He'd fallen asleep while looking for other likely spots for the Order's base.

"I'm up..." He said groggily. Luna smacked him on the top of his head.

"You need to sleep in an actual bed."

"Yeah...I know. Ruby told me pretty much the same thing."

"She's right, you know. Why didn't you get some real rest?"

"I can't sleep knowing Vortex and who knows what else is loose in Remnant." He shook his head. "You said something about the pilot?"

"Yes, he's waiting for you." Alex pushed himself out of the chair he had fallen asleep in and stretched. He followed Luna the short distance up to the cockpit of the Albatross. He stepped through the open hatch. The sun illuminated the bright green trees beneath the aircraft.

"What's the situation?" Alex yawned.

"Mornin' to you too, Major." The pilot nodded. "As for what I called you up here for..." he pointed out the window. Alex caught sight of several pillars of black smoke rising from within the trees. "Sergeant Averin asked us to reduce our speed until you made a decision."

"What is it? A forest fire?"

"Long range sensors were picking up radar contacts on the ground and radio chatter, so that Blake girl says it's probably some sort of frontier town."

"Well, if it is, we can't leave innocents in harm's way, can we?"

"No, sir. Bringing us back up to full speed, letting our wingmen know we're headed in. You'll want to gear everyone up, it'll be about ten minutes to arrival."

* * *

"Miss Vio, what do we do?" A small Faunus child tugged at the sleeve of a woman with wolf-ears. The woman had hair dyed a vibrant purple, and was currently in the process of unjamming a rifle. A cracked and discarded white mask lay at her feet.

"Just stay put, little one. We'll keep you safe." Multiple grunts could be heard as a group of the woman's fellow White Fang held the doors of the building they were in shut. Vio's group had fallen back with the Faunus citizens of the frontier village to the town hall, the only building strong enough to hold back the claws of the Grimm-like creatures outside. Even though the metal double-doors were barricaded and braced by eight individuals, they still creaked and shook as the _things_ outside attempted to gain entry. Even if they did break through, the large atrium in the entrance would serve as a funnel.

"What kind of Grimm are these?" One of Vio's fellow White Fang asked aloud.

"I guess these must be the things that Erwin was warning me about." Vio grit her teeth as the doors let out another metallic groan. "I wish he'd explained more before..." She shook her head. Whatever force that had captured her friend had probably killed him, but now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Footsteps came down the staircase behind her.

"Ma'am! There's a new one! It's way bigger and much nastier looking!" Vio followed the White Fang member up the stairs, passing through the crowd of townsfolk huddled as far back from the door as possible. Upon reaching the second floor, she looked down at the horde crowded outside the buildings. Erwin had been right, these things weren't Grimm. A Beowolf would fight an Ursa over territory. Nevermores wanted nothing to do with Deathstalkers. These things were organized. All sorts of variations worked together. She spotted the new one her comrade had spotted.

It was large, as big as the dragon-looking ones, but it had no wings. It's head was horned, and spikes ran down its back. Even creepier, was that it was vaguely humanoid, aside from the long, bladed tail swinging behind it. It reminded Vio of the illustrations of demons she'd learned about as a child. The thing's head snapped up to look at the second floor. It looked straight at her. Vio shivered as the thing took lumbering steps forward, causing the ground to shake under its weight.

Then it did the worst possible thing, the beast readied itself and jumped at the side of the building. Its arms ripped through the walls of the town hall, opening huge gashes for the smaller one to enter.

"Back downstairs! Now! We need to hold them off!" Vio instructed the other White Fang. She ran down to the first floor two steps at a time. "Make a circle around the townspeople!" Her comrades all gave nods of affirmation and fell into formation. They raised their weapons at the slowly expanding holes being widened by the horde's claws and fangs. The Faunus next to Vio's hands shook violently, causing his rifle to sway. Vio put a hand on his shoulder. "We've got this." He nodded, his shivering calming slightly.

"Here they come!" The walls of the town hall cracked and creaked, giving under the sheer weight and punishment they had been subjected to. The creatures spilled in through the opening. The children huddled with their parents screamed.

"Open fire!"

* * *

Vio wasn't sure what had happened initially. He vision was suddenly filled with dust and smoke as the roof about thirty feet in front of her and the other Faunus collapsed. As the smoke cleared, she caught sight of something that made her freeze. Two humanoid shapes, each standing around twenty feet in height, stood in the middle of the atrium, both holding triple-barreled weapons larger than a person. Two normally sized people dropped down onto the giants' shoulders from the floor above. Vio vaguely noted that the giants must have dropped through the roof. One of the normal figures held a finger to the side of their helmet.

"We're in. We'll hold the interior, you all get the rest." The voice was female, though there was still enough dust in the air that Vio couldn't make out any details. "Yeah, got it. Landric out...Alright boys, start shredding!" The two giants' weapons spun up with loud whirs, the huge firearms were leveled at the creatures, who had slightly retreated upon the arrival of the hulking figures. With a roar, the beasts rushed forward, only to be cut down by the giants and the two figures riding on them.

* * *

"Ruby, watch your right!" The girl jumped back at Alex's warning, a Fenrir biting the air where she had been standing. She unfolded Crescent Rose's blade and hooked it onto the Shade at an angle. With a recoil assisted pull, the scythe ripped the beast in half. A snap of a branch behind her alerted her to the presence of another Shade. As Ruby spun to face the Shade behind her. She hadn't seen this one before, but Alex had been teaching her and the others about the different types of puppets at the order's disposal. From the description, Ruby determined the thing that had sneaked up on her was a Spire. She had to admit, it certainly was an odd-looking creature. Sharp shards of black material hovered around a central red crystal, creating an approximate skeletal form.

Before Ruby could dispose of the Shade, a blast of a shotgun shattered the Spire's core, causing it to vanish in a flash of shadowy mist.

"Thanks, Alex!"

"No problem, Ruby." The EDC Major had swapped his rifle out for a spare shotgun from their arsenal. It was a rather sleek design, with a thin frame and an adjustable butt. Alex had slapped a high-capacity drum magazine onto the weapon, to allow himself full use of the gun's automatic setting if needed. Luna fired a short burst into an oncoming Fenrir, back pedaling to where Ruby and Alex stood.

"There sure a lot of these things..." She commented.

"This is nothing. Back on Earth, this would barely qualify as a scouting party."

"That's a frightening thought." Luna shivered briefly, before the trio returned to firing at the horde. "How did you hold off that many?"

"With a lot more heavy weaponry than we've currently got-" He stopped as a large Shade was thrown down the road, crushing others underneath its weight. The beast was missing an arm at the elbow, and a long slash ran through its left eye. Charles came strolling casually down the street, Winter and Weiss trailing right behind him, looking somewhat bored. The Bloodline turned to Alex.

"Oh, there you are. I figured you might need a hand, but I was delayed by our friend here." Charles snapped his fingers and the large Shade was consumed in a pillar of violet flame. "Didn't think the Order had enough members and time to make Behemoths."

"Behemoths?" Ruby asked. Alex hadn't mentioned the type of Shade.

"That thing Charles just killed." Alex explained. "They're one of the toughest Shades to get rid of. They're tough, they're fast, and they can jump. Like him, I didn't think the Order would have the time or manpower to decide to make any of them. Was it just that one, Charles?"

"The team at the town hall ran into another one, but the Vanguards shredded it. I think that's all of them though."

Ruby noticed the sour look on Weiss' face, "What's up, Weiss?"

" _He_ keeps killing everything before Winter or I have a chance to even raise our weapons..." The younger Schnee gestured to Charles. Her sister stifled a laugh. "We've just been following his trail of destruction."

"Sorry, girls. I'm used to fighting on my own." The Bloodline rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "I'll make sure to hold back a bit." Alex shook his head.

"Let's keep moving."

* * *

Blake, Firo, and Dimitri had used their armors' jump packs to set up on the roof of a building. Firo was picking off Shades with a marksman rifle, while Dimitri sprayed his machine gun into the horde below them. Blake's handgun didn't have the most effective use in this situation, so the two adults had assigned the student to being their spotter, calling out priority targets.

"Miss Firo, there's a Wyvern perched on the roof two buildings to the right." Blake informed him, a pair of binoculars held up to her eyes. The girl heard the crack of Firo's rifle, and watched the flying lizard's head explode. "Mr. Averin, a group of Spires is moving into position on the roof of the building across from us." The Russian nodded and turned his weapon onto Blake's targets. The Shades were destroyed under a hail of bullets.

"Good eye."

"Thank you-" Blake pulled the Russian away from the roof as her ears twitched under her bow. Two sharp legs snapped closed on the wall Dimitri had been set up on. Firo whipped to the side, firing three rounds into the head of the spider-like Shade that had crawled up the side of building. The beast fell from the wall as it died.

"Thanks, Blake." He breathed.

"You're welcome." She smiled. "That was an Arachnid, right?"

"Yeah. Little bastards can turn invisible like our active camo. That's probably how it got up here. Good thing you heard it."

"Well, someone has to watch both of your backs." Blake grinned.

"And I can't think of anyone I rather have looking out for us." Dimitri pat her on the head.

* * *

Yang and Carbon protected Ryland as he worked on setting up an auto-turret.

"So...you're sure that thing won't shoot us in the back?" Yang asked casually as she smashed a Fenrir's face in.

"Oh ye of little faith." Ryland replied, clicking the last piece into place. "We're good, get clear." Yang and Carbon moved behind the turret as it sprung to life.

"Hostiles detected. Engaging." The turret whipped back and forth, spitting precise bursts into the Shades. Ryland loaded an iron slug into his prosthetic arm and leveled the limb at the center of the road.

"Fire in the hole!"

* * *

After an hour of combat, the EDC forces felt they had satisfactorily cleared the town of Shades. Alex and the others gathered at the town hall, where the civilians had been holding out. He stepped past Landric's fireteam, who had held back the Shades with the two Vanguards. They had dropped the exosuits through the roof of the town hall so the machine's wouldn't have to fight their way through the horde.

Alex felt a small tap on his shoulder, alerting him that Dimitri was as his side. As the two of them stepped forward, a Faunus woman with vivid purple hair stepped forward.

"Are you in charge here?" Alex asked.

* * *

Vio looked over their saviors. Humans for the most part, though she had spotted at least one Faunus among them. That sole member had looked...happy. She had been speaking to one of the men standing in front of Vio and a black-haired girl. Still, looks could be deceiving, and Vio wasn't about to trust a bunch of Humans. They were the White Fang after all.

"Are you in charge here?" One of the soldiers asked her. He appeared young to be the leader of this group. Was he a representative? Vio's guess was that these soldiers' Officer was likely on board on of the aircraft hovering above the town.

"By extension, yes." She said. "What is it your leader wants?"

"We don't want anything, we just saw that people were in trouble and came to help." Vio scoffed. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"I've never once met a Human who did something for free. I'm sure your boss wants-"

"Uh...Lady? Not to burst your bubble or nothing, but you're talking to the Bossman right now." A young soldier with light brown-slightly-orange hair cut her off. Vio stared at the blond man in front of her. "I mean, I know he's got the whole 'looks-younger-than-he-is' thing going on, but still-"

"Ryland." The large man behind this "Bossman" said warningly.

"Shutting up now." The boy raised his hands defensively.

"My apologies." Vio said, turning back to the blond man. "What is it _you_ want, then?"

"As I said, nothing."

"What, you expect me to believe that you don't want the glory of capturing members of the White Fang." She tested.

"You were defending the people of this town, and we're not affiliated with any of Remnant's armies. That's enough for us. It's not you we're hunting."

"Is that so?" Vio's posture relaxed slightly. "So what were those Grimm? It's like they were organized."

"They're not Grimm. They're called Shades, and the person making them is who we're after."

"I see..."

* * *

The two forces went their separate ways, the EDC loading back on to their aircraft, and the White Fang leading the Faunus civilians to a trio of hidden Bullheads.

"Hey," Alex stopped before he stepped onto the Albatross. The purple-haired wolf Faunus stood a short distance away. "What's your name 'Bossman'?"

"Alex. Alex Greene."

"Well, Greene. I'm Vio." She paused. "Never thought I'd say this to a Human, but...thanks."

"You're welcome, Vio." Alex nodded. "Keep your people safe."

"Will do. Good luck finding the bastard responsible this."

* * *

Erwin stretched as he sat up in a real bed. Vortex had done something unexpected and let the Faunus boy out of his cell. He still wasn't allowed any communication devices and Zephyr had been assigned to watch him, but it was better than being stuck in an eight foot cube. Another condition for his release was that he was not to try to escape. Erwin hadn't been planning on taking that course of action anyway, he wasn't suicidal enough to try it.

Zephyr theorized that part of why Erwin had been let was so that Vortex didn't have to worry about the boy dying in the cell while most of the Order's soldiers was out searching for Void Dust. Despite the fact she was technically his warden, Erwin found Zephyr to be good company. She had a rather cheerful personality, and seemed genuinely interested in learning about Remnant and sharing stories about her home.

The pair had taken to meeting in the mess hall. There wasn't exactly much else to do aside from talking to each other. The two of them had just finished discussing a question Zephyr had regarding how Dust was used to power engines in Remnant. The door of the room hissed open and none other than Roman Torchwick and his multicolored companion.

"Oh, so there are still people here." Roman sighed and sat down a short distance away, his female companion sat across from him, her head whipping around as a Fenrir passed the closing door of the mess hall. Erwin decided to try to start a conversation.

"...Are you afraid of the Shades?" He asked. _Great. No tact at all in that._

"Neo finds them unsettling." Roman answered for his silent companion. "You're that White Fang kid, right?"

"I'm Erwin, yes."

"I heard you got locked up, this your new handler?" Roman gestured to Zephyr.

"Lord Vortex let Erwin out as long as he behaves." Zephyr explained. "I'm just hanging around."

"Is that so?" Roman quirked an eyebrow. "So, Kid, how about you? You find the Shades cuddly?"

"No." Erwin admitted. "I find them frightening as well."

"Well, we agree on something then." Roman said.

"Yeah, they are pretty creepy." Zephyr said thoughtfully. The other three occupants of the room turned towards her with varying looks of surprise on their faces. "What? We have giant spiders! Gross!"

"It just-" Erwin started.

"-I don't think any of us expected someone from the group that makes the things to say that." Roman finished.

"Well, I tried to convince Lord Eclipse to let me make cute Shades back home. She shot me down though..."

"You're a weird one." Roman said. Neo and Erwin nodded.

"Hey!"

* * *

Deep in the forests outside Vale lay a Dust research facility founded by the Schnee Dust Company. Without warning, the site had gone dark and been assumed to be overrun by Grimm. Large stores of Dust were supposedly held with the facility, so Vortex had sent a pair of Order soldiers to see if any Void Dust was still stored there.

The two Acolytes had found the site with little trouble. The first thing they noticed was the complete lack of damage to the outside of the facility. Not even a single window was broken.

"So much for it being overrun." one of the scouts commented.

"Come on, let's just see if there's anything to salvage inside." His female companion replied. They two walked up to the door of the building, the first scout using his superior strength to dig his fingers into the entrance and force it open. The metal groaned and creaked as it was torn open. A horrible smelling mass fell through the door.

"GAH! What the hell is that?" The male scout jumped back as the foul lump fell to the ground with a splat.

"Is that...a person?" The female scout gagged.

"What's left of one, anyway..." The body was horribly mangled, and smelled as if it had been rotting for the last few weeks. They looked into the hallway behind the corpse. The walls were covered in dried blood and long slash marks.

"What the hell..." The two scouts stepped into the hall. They followed the corridor down, passing more rotting bodies, or more specifically, parts of bodies. The pair stopped as they heard a bone-chilling sound. Whistling, accompanied by footsteps. From the darkness of the hallway in the distance, a figure in pitch-black armor strode out. A clear crystal gleaming in his hand.

"Oh, company! And Order soldiers at that. Well, come on then. Bow before Lord Chaos."

* * *

 **A/N: It begins. Sorry for the later than usual update. Thanks to the awesome people leaving follows, favorites, and reviews!**

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	39. Chapter 38

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 38

"What do you mean you're out!?" Emerald heard Cinder shriek from the other side of the metal door. The mint-haired girl leaned against the wall outside the room while her leader spoke with the White Fang representative inside.

"I mean that the White Fang is done! We _can't_ assist you anymore!" A male voice yelled back at Cinder. The representative, Adam, if Emerald recalled correctly. "Those _things_ have torn through more than half our forces, even if we wanted to, we couldn't help you!"

Emerald sighed to herself, pushed her body off the wall, and walked down the hall, deciding Cinder wouldn't miss her. It had been a while since the trio of infiltrators had left Beacon. They'd apparently left at the right time, since the academy had come under attack only a couple days after they had left. Ever since she'd seen the news report, Emerald's heart had been consumed with worry. The girl took out her scroll and stared at one of only a handful of contacts on her call list. A contact labeled "Arthur".

It was the only thing she'd ever been able to "steal" from him before leaving. The blond boy had actually caught her with his scroll in her hands, but once she admitted what she was doing, he had allowed her to continue. She hadn't ever actually contacted Arthur, but every day after the attack, she'd engaged in a staring contest with her scroll, debating pressing the "call" button.

Emerald was experiencing many emotions she hadn't felt before. Guilt being the most prominent of those feelings. She'd left without even saying a word to Arthur, after the boy had called her a friend. It didn't feel right to just abandon him, but if Cinder found out she had been lying about meeting him-

"Calling your secret boyfriend?" A familiar voice said. Emerald quickly shut her scroll's screen off and whirled towards the voice.

"Maybe I was, Mercury. Unlike you, I can get a date." She shot back at the silver-haired boy.

"Ow! Right where it hurts." He placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "Master Thief Emerald, now stealing the hearts of young men as well as their money." Emerald stuck her tongue out at him. "Now that's mature..."

"What do you want, Mercury?"

"Just wondering why you're trying to kill your scroll by staring at it."

"None of your business."

"Is it Cinder's business? Cause if it is, it's mine too."

"...No...It's not." Emerald cursed herself for not sounding more sure of herself. Mercury burst out laughing and patted her on the back.

"No need to be so defensive, I was joking. What's a few jabs between partners?"

"I swear I will sew your mouth shut someday..." Emerald muttered bitterly.

"You know how to sew?" At this point, Mercury would be dead if looks could kill. "Alright, I'm going to leave before you decide to actually follow through on that threat. See ya." He sauntered back down the hall.

Once he was out of sight, Emerald let out a relieved sigh. That had been a bit too close for her tastes. She took the time to observe her surroundings. It had taken a while, but Cinder had managed to track down the White Fang's main base of operations in Vale, a hidden bunker tucked between a pair of tall mountains. Upon arriving, Cinder had demanded a meeting with the Faunus in charge of the base, which turned out to be the bull Faunus, Adam. All in all, the base was rather bland, being solid steel. The only thing of value left would be any Dust being stored in the facility.

* * *

Cinder slammed her hands onto the metal table between her and Adam. The Faunus was unmoved by the display of displeasure.

"So, you're telling me these...Grimm...have reduced the White Fang to almost nothing?"

"That would be correct. Whatever they really are, they've made it so we can barely operate in Vale until we get some help from the other kingdoms." Cinder sighed and sat in a simple chair next to the table, holding her forehead with her fingertips.

"Please tell me you at least have some sort of recent report on these creatures..."

"We had a team come back from an attack in the North. They're the first team to come back with useful information, since usually we picked up survivors who hid for the entire conflict." Adam held up his scroll and read the text on the screen. "The leader reports that the beasts can be killed, but they don't seem to have any vital organs, so you have to shoot or cut them until they fall apart. She also reported something of interest. A group of Human soldiers arrived and helped our forces defeat the creatures. They called the creatures Shades."

"'Shades'? They're not Grimm?" Cinder perked up as the subject caught her interest.

"Apparently not. The operative reported that the Human leader she spoke to refered to them more like a puppet or a robot than a living creature."

"Did any particular type of weapon prove effective against these Shades?" Adam scrolled through the report.

"Explosives and high-caliber weapons did well. Fire also appeared to meet with some success."

"I see." Cinder stood. "I will need to reassess our plans for the near future."

* * *

Outside the base, unbeknownst to the Faunus within, two pairs of bright red eyes observed the bunker's entrance as two White Fang patrolled outside. The figures in black armor rustled the leaves of the bushes they hid in slightly as they moved. One of the Order soldier leaned to his comrade and whispered.

"Alert Lord Vortex. We've found them."

* * *

Anika looked over the EDC forces as they ceased their search for the day and sat down for some food together. They had landed atop a large, flat outcropping on the side of a mountain. The EDC sniper couldn't shake the feeling that someone was missing. She ran a quick headcount. Twenty-two. They should have twenty-three. Where was Arthur?

Anika began to look around for the Guardian. Her sharp eyes caught the white color of the boy's armor. Arthur's feet hung off the side of the outcropping as he sat on the edge of the outcropping, staring into the distance.

"Arthur?" Anika called to him as she walked over. The boy didn't respond. Had he not heard her? "Arthur?" She noticed that he had his helmet on, and reached out to tap his shoulder. Her hand froze as she saw Arthur's body shiver and shake slightly. She couldn't see or hear it, but she knew...he was crying. She strengthened her resolve. "Arthur?" Anika gently placed her hand on him. He gave a small jump of surprise at the sudden contact. "You okay?"

"...Y-yeah, I'm fine..." came the muffled reply.

"Without your helmet, please." She said. Arthur sighed and removed the armor piece. His eyes were red and puffy, confirming Anika's suspicions. "You don't look fine. What's wrong?"

"I-it's nothing. I can still operate fine in the field." Anika heard small sounds coming from Arthur's helmet. He'd been listening to something? She could pick out three distinct voices. The sniper froze as she realized who the speakers were. She had only spent a short while with them, but the voices were undeniably those of Miko and Nathan.

"...You miss them, don't you?" Arthur looked up at her. "I know...that its hard to say good bye..."

"They weren't just my team..." the Guardian shook slightly. "Part of being a Guardian is learning that your team is like a second family...I lost a brother and sister...and all I have left of them are recordings...I'll never really hear their voices again..."

"Arthur. If you need to talk..."

"I know. You're a good friend, Anika. You'd have made a good Guardian."

"Thanks." They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Anika, I'm not sure what to do..."

"Regarding what?"

"When Solaris killed them...I thought killing him would make me feel better...but, now...that feeling of anger is still there...and I feel like I can't stop until the Order is gone."

"You're mad at the ideal that killed Nathan and Miko, not the person that murdered them." Anika analyzed.

"Something like that, yes." Another several seconds of quiet hung between them.

"For what it's worth..." Anika started, "I'll watch your back as long as there's still an Order to defeat."

"Thank you, Anika." Arthur nodded and wiped his eyes. "I suppose we should get some food, shouldn't we?"

"If it isn't all cold by now..."

* * *

 **A/N: Short buildup chapter today. Simple stuff. Thanks for leaving follows, favorites, and reviews!**


	40. Chapter 39

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 39

Vortex puffed out a frustrated breath as he looked through a pile of files before him, both paper and digital. In an effort to narrow the location of the Void Dust temple, the Lord had decided to personally dig through the wealth of old tales and documents pertaining to the legend. However, he had, so far, met with little progress.

With the knowledge the temple existed, but nothing else, it made it harder to differentiate between what was useful and what was just inane ramblings. One old paper suggested that the temple was perhaps buried deep under the sands of the Vacuan Desert in the West, and another believed the kingdom had long sunken to the bottom of the inland Mistrali Sea in the East. His lack of local knowledge was hindering him in his search. If only he had-

* * *

"Erwin," Zephyr shook the Faunus boy awake. He groaned and rolled onto his back. "Lord Vortex wants to talk to you."

"Urgh...give me a minute..." Erwin pulled himself out of his bed.

"Make it quick, you know Lord Vortex doesn't like being kept waiting." Erwin opened the small suitcase of his belongings kept under his bed. It wasn't much, only three spare sets of clothing. He froze as he picked a shirt up and out of the case.

"Um, Zephyr...You're not making this go any faster by...you know...standing there..."

"Hm? What do you-" Her face turned a bright crimson. "Oh- I- I'll wait outside!" She dashed out the door, long orange hair flowing after her. Erwin released a sigh of relief, having a girl watching him change was not how he wanted to start the day.

After donning the spare clothes, consisting of a set of beige cargo pants and a black t-shirt, Erwin exited his room. Zephyr leaned against the wall outside, her face still clearly tinted a vivid red. The fox Faunus opened his mouth to speak, but the young Order Acolyte turned away and simply led him down the hall in embarrassed silence.

The two of them stopped in front of Vortex's "office". Zephyr knocked on the metal door, which clanged as her armored fist connected.

"Enter." She pushed the entrance open, revealing the Lord, but not as Erwin had ever seen him before. For the first time, Erwin saw the man's face. It...was not nearly as frightening as he had imagined. Instead of the scowling, battle-scarred veteran, Vortex was surprisingly...normal looking. He had unkempt, short black hair and a trimmed beard. Both probably were in poor appearance from being shoved into a helmet all the time. Aside from some small scars around his right eye, which was a dark forest green, the Lord's only other blemishes were wrinkles showing his advancing age.

"My Lord? Zephyr said you asked for me?"

"Yes, Erwin." His voice even seemed different. Perhaps the helmet distorted his voice to make him seem more menacing? "I would like to request your help. Have you heard the legend of the temple powered by Void Dust?"

"My grandmother used to tell it to me all the time, why?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any guesses to where the temple might be, would you?"

"Grandmother always said it was on the continent to the North-West." One of Vortex's eyebrows perked up and the Lord shuffled through a stack of files at his side.

"...None of these records make any mention of that region. Why did your grandmother believe that the temple lay there?"

"She never said why. I guess because it couldn't really be elsewhere. That continent has been filled with Grimm for ages, no Humans or Faunus."

"Has the region been explored?"

"No. None of the Kingdoms have the desire to risk it."

"Interesting. Thank you, Erwin." Those were the last words the Faunus had ever thought he'd hear from the Lord. Zephyr seemed to agree, as her head whipped between Vortex and Erwin.

"Um...You're welcome, my Lord." Erwin replied, though it came out more like a question. A series of loud bangs were heard on the office's door as someone knocked their fist against the metal.

"What is it?" Vortex called.

 _Well,_ Erwin thought, _now the scary voice is back._

"My Lord!" An Order scout opened the door. "We-" Another Order gauntlet, gilded with gold engravings that Erwin did not recognize, placed itself on the scout's shoulder, pushing them out of the way.

"Stand aside, Acolyte. Don't deprive me of reintroducing myself." A young man without a helmet stepped into the room, his helmet tucked under his arm. Erwin felt a shiver crawl up his spine. The new arrival was deathly pale, almost sickly in color. His hair was a stark white, and his eyes were a pale red. Two things sent warning signals to the Faunus more than anything else though: the predatory grin and creepily joyous look in the man's eyes. "Hello, Vortex. Did you miss me?" Erwin felt Zephyr nudge a little closer to him. Was she...afraid of this new arrival? Wasn't he a part of the Order? He was an ally, right?

"I can't say that I have, Chaos." Vortex rose from his seat at his desk and walked around to the front. His voice was low, dangerous. Now Erwin was worried. The Lord had greeted the new arrival, however distastefully, as an _equal_ , not a subordinate.

"I gotta say, I like the decor, but it's missing a little... _paint_...y'know?" Chaos commented as he looked around.

"Why are you here, Chaos?" Vortex narrowed his eyes at the younger man.

"Eh, I got bored. Hearing scientists beg for their lives only maintains its amusement for so long." The other Lord replied casually.

"I hope you realize that you will not be partaking in any such activities if you wish to stay here." Vortex growled at him.

"Lame. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Make yourself useful. Another scouting team reported back, and we've discovered the location of a base containing something of value."

"You mean more of this stuff? Catch." Chaos tossed a shard of Void Dust towards his fellow Lord, who caught it out of the air. "What's it for, anyway?"

"Leave planning and details to me. Simply go recover the material from the base."

"You're no fun...eh, whatever, one dead base coming right up. I could use the exercise anyway..." Chaos turned to leave, but stopped as he spotted Zephyr. "Hello." He looked at the girl, who moved behind Erwin.

 _What exactly do you think having me in front of you will accomplish?!_ Erwin asked as a hint of panic flared in his mind, though he tried his best to keep his outward appearance calm.

"You're an awfully pretty one..." The Faunus boy felt his one friend in the Order shiver.

"Um..Lord Chaos...I'm sorry, but I believe she wants to be left alone." Erwin spoke before he realized he had even opened his mouth.

"Oh, my apologies." The Lord rose his hands mockingly. "Though I suppose I have work to do now..." Chaos shrugged and took a step back. Erwin felt an inexplicable feeling of cold wash over him. "Oh, and free word of advice. Don't get in my way next time, you'll live longer." The feral grin was still spread wide across the Lord's face as he exited the room. Erwin let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry you two had to deal with him." Vortex said, the softer tone coming back to his voice, though it maintained an irritated edge. "You may go, I will call you again if I require further assistance."

"Yes, my Lord." Erwin nodded. He and Zephyr exited the room together, the girl sticking extremely close to him. "What's wrong?"

"You...you'd understand if you'd ever seen that... _monster_...in action." His Order friend shivered again.

"What do y-" Erwin felt a wave of weakness pass over him. A sharp pain suddenly became apparent in his abdomen. He placed a hand over the stabbing pain and found it soaking wet. His palm was painted with his own blood. His legs suddenly gave out.

"Erwin!" Zephyr caught the boy as he fell. She lifted his shirt, trying to locate the injury. She found a horizontal stab, passing completely through Erwin's body. She wasted no time in starting to heal him with her ability. "I've got you. It's okay..."

* * *

Winter watched Charles and Dimitri talking to the girls of team RWBY. The two men had decided the students should learn to use more than just the weapons they were used to. So, they had stopped early for the day and set up a mock shooting range for the girls to test-fire the weapons in the EDC's arsenal.

Winter looked over to her right, where she spotted Firo also observing the students' training. The older Schnee sibling remembered their last conversation hadn't gone too well...but if there was anything Mr. Blackwill had taught her, it was that you could patch up almost any relationship. Winter rose from her seat on the edge of an Albatross and walked towards the Faunus woman.

"Um-" She realized she hadn't thought this through at all. "Hello, Firo." The rabbit-eared woman gave a slight jump at the sudden arrival, and whipped around to look at Winter.

"Oh...Hello...Miss Schnee..." Well, this was going nowhere fast. Winter wracked her brain for something to try to continue the conversation. Winter noticed how Firo's eyes seemed to track Dimitri.

"So...how did you meet Mr. Averin?" The older Schnee sister fully expected Firo to ignore her at this point.

"...He saved my life." Winter couldn't see Firo's face, but her sole rabbit ear twitched happily. "...He protected me when no one else wanted to."

"I met Mr. Blackwill in a similar way, he rescued me from a gang of...thugs in Atlas."

"...They were White Fang?"

"...Yes...they were..." Winter flinched. "Firo, I know you said you didn't want my pity, but I want you to know that I am truly sorry for what my father and my family's company has done...If you want to continue to hate me, I underst-"

"...I...don't hate you...Winter..." The Schnee's head shot up to look at the Faunus woman. "I...can't forgive...your company...for taking my father away...but I...don't hate _you_. I'm...sorry for... yelling at you last time..."

"Thank you, Firo... I promise that I will do anything I can to fix my father's mistakes..."

"...I know you will..." The two sat in silence for a moment. Winter watched Firo's eyes drift back to Dimitri.

"You have feelings for him, don't you?" Firo suddenly turned a bright red, but shook her head in denial. "You should tell him." The Faunus woman's head shaking ceased.

"...Maybe...Someday..."

* * *

Alex and Ryland sat staring at cards laid out in front of them. The young EDC soldier had found a deck of playing cards, so he, Alex, Mac, and Carbon had been passing the time while Dimitri and Charles brought the girls up to speed on using EDC weaponry.

"Twenty-one." Alex said, flipping over his cards.

"God Dammit." Ryland said, flipping over eighteen. "How are you so lucky, Bossman?"

"You've got me there," Alex shrugged, "Guess that luck's why I've survived so long."

"Eh, you've got no shortage of skill either, Major." Mac commented. "Twenty, by the way."

"Fifteen." Carbon added idly.

"Least I beat one of you..." Ryland muttered. The four men froze as a steady beeping suddenly filled the interior of the Albatross.

"What is that?" Carbon asked. The other three members at the table shared stunned looks with each other.

" _That_ ," Ryland began, "Is an EDC short-range distress beacon."

"Mac, tell Dimitri to pack up training for today, we're gonna move. Ryland, grab that signal, find out who's broadcasting."

"On it, Major."

"You got it, Bossman." Mac jogged out of the Albatross, while Ryland moved over to a console and began punching in commands. A message began to play.

"This is a signal hailing any Earth Defense Coalition forces. Encrypted coordinates have been enclosed in this message. If you are receiving, head to our position as quickly as possible. We are a small group of survivors from aboard Apollo Station. If you are receiving, repeat, please head to the enclosed coordinates."

Ryland looked over at Alex, "Apollo Station? Does that mean-"

"I think it might." Alex replied, "Barnes."

* * *

 **A/N: Today you get a real introduction for Chaos, the kind of bastard that'll eat your pet and then remind you of it constantly. Don't invite him to parties. Big thanks to the people dropping favorites, follows, reviews, and PMs. Seeing you all drop by lets me know you want more.**


	41. Chapter 40

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 40

The EDC aircraft shot through the skies, making a beeline for the distress signal. The message they received continued to repeat itself as they drew closer to its source. A single tall mountain stood out among the trees below the transports.

"Looks like the signal's coming from somewhere in or on the mountain." Ryland reported. "Sorry I can't be any more precise than that."

"That's fine." Alex nodded. "Set us down, pilot."

"Finding a clear spot. Not too far, not too close." Came the reply from the cockpit.

"Good. Dimitri, I need you, Firo, and Blake to scout ahead. Let us know if there are any surprises waiting for us. The other teams will be a short distance behind you."

"Got it." The Russian nodded and turned towards the two girls. "Let's get suited up."

"Found us an LZ." The pilot reported. "Reducing altitude now." In a few moments, the Albatross came to a halt as it touched the ground. Dimitri and the pair of girls activated their active camouflage and stepped out of the craft.

* * *

The first thing Blake noticed was the huge pieces of wreckage scattered around the forest. Chunks of metal, standing taller than a house on their own, cast long shadows across the trio as they picked their way through the thick trees. The lack of burned plants meant that whatever the wreckage had come from had not crashed here.

"Mr. Averin? What is all this?" Blake whispered.

"Take a look." Blake's shooting glasses highlighted the Russian's silhouette as he pointed to a particularly large chunk of the wreck. Blake made out the remains of six letters: APOLLO, each letter printed to be more than five times the girl's height. Blake was about to ask what Apollo was, when a sharp snap of a twig made her turn towards the trees. She caught sight of a mirage-like blur darting deeper into the trees. Dimitri placed a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Blake. If that was what I think it was, then we're fine."

"What-" Blake stopped as the sound of a weapon firing pins being pulled echoed around them. Several of the mirage-like entities stepped out from the trees.

"This is a restricted area. Identify yourself."

"Restricted? What-" Firo started. Dimitri rose a hand for her to stop.

"How can they see us?" Blake asked.

"Hold on, both of you." Dimitri lowered his weapon. "EDC identification: Averin, Dimitri Service number: EDC-STRD-1I-0002." The blurs moved into a less hostile stance, deactivating their camouflage. Blake had only seen a few of these things before, and they were a bit bulkier, but they definitely Talon drones.

"Identification confirmed. Averin, Dimitri. Sergeant. First Infantry. Marking local contacts as friendly." One of the drones said aloud.

"Yeah, that's a second generation Talon. They talk a bit more than the originals, but the EDC made them a bit tougher." Dimitri explained. "You can shut off the camo now." Blake and Firo let out breaths they had been holding in and did as he said.

"Sergeant." The lead Talon said. "Local command requests the presence of yourself, UNREGISTERED USER, and UNREGISTERED USER immediately."

"Uh, sure thing. Just so you know, there are more people with us." Dimitri replied.

"Confirmed additional non-hostile contacts. Please. This way." The drone turned and walked into the trees.

"Boss, we made contact." Dimitri said over his radio as he and the girls followed the drone. "They're friendlies."

"Yeah, we met. They're leading us up towards the mountain. We'll meet you there."

* * *

Dimitri, Blake, and Firo followed the Talon up a steeply rising pathway up the side of the mountain. The exited the treeline. In front of them was what looked like a cave, but was clearly man-made. The entrance was rectangular and level, and the interior appeared to be wide and open. Alex and the others already stood waiting outside the entrance, a Talon standing by them as well. The whine of engines alerted Dimitri to the presence of their aircraft, which threw dirt into the air as the four of them landed outside the mouth of the cave.

More Talons stood guard outside the man-made cavern, their head rotating from left to right as they scanned the trees for movement. A series of footsteps could be heard as the Human occupants of the cave stepped into the sun.

"Good to see you, General Barnes." Alex greeted the oldest among the five figures that had revealed themselves.

"It's good to see you too, Alex."

* * *

The combined gathering of Humans and two Faunus headed into the cave while the Talons kept watch outside. Ruby looked over their new hosts. Out of the five total living people in the cave, three were clearly soldiers like Alex. They consisted of a rough looking man with red hair, an auburn-haired woman, and a pale man with platinum-blond hair, who's eyes, Ruby could swear, gave off some sort of unnatural glow. The other two people were not armored. The younger of the two was a woman who looked to be in her mid-forties, with slightly fading blonde hair tied up into a functional bun and intelligent blue eyes. Ruby felt like the woman was analyzing her and the others with every glance.

Then, there was the oldest member of the five. A man of dark complexion and light gray hair. Alex had called him "General Barnes". The man held himself with both grace and authority, despite looking well past his fiftieth. For some reason, Ruby saw him as the kind of person who was a grandfather, but could still kick any upstart youngster to the curb in a heartbeat.

As Alex finished bringing Barnes up to speed on where they were and the Order, Ruby made eye contact with the old man. "So, Alex, I recognize most of the faces among you, but there are a few new ones. Care to introduce us?" the General said with a smile.

 _He doesn't seem as scary as General Ironwood._ Ruby thought to herself.

"Right. General, these are the friends we've made since arriving here." Alex gestured to each of the people of Remnant as he said their name, "Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose and her sister, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss and Winter Schnee, Luna Azure, Daeg Carbon, and Albiona Firo." Most of them nodded or hesitantly waved as they were called upon, though Ruby noticed a slightly sour look pass over Firo's face as her first name was said aloud.

"A pleasure to meet all of you." The General inclined his head to each of them. "Allow me to introduce ourselves as well. I am General Avery Barnes, head of the EDC's Special Tactical Response Division's infantry section. The lovely woman behind me," The older woman flipped him off while his back was turned, "who is most likely making rude gestures, is Chief Engineer Hilda Bernstein. Our three other friends are the members of Commando team Cerberus, who it would seem are more concerned with keeping watch than taking the time to greet our guests."

"Somebody has to, sir." The rough-looking soldier commented.

"General, not to interrupt," Alex started, "But how long have the five of you been here?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Little less than six months now."

"That sounds approximately right for us as well."

"You've been staying in a cave for six months?" Barnes shrugged at Alex's surprise.

"We have plenty of supplies, and Hilda got the Talons we could salvage working or defenses and expanding the cave. We weren't exactly sitting on our laurels, we've been reclaiming what we could from the station wreck. Hilda managed to repair a transmitter we recovered to send the distress signal around two weeks ago."

"Excuse me," Blake raised her hand to get the General attention, "I was wondering, what was Apollo?"

"Apollo station was an orbiting command center. I say was because, as you can see, it is currently strewn about the ground."

"All this metal was floating around in space?" Ruby suddenly took even greater interest in the parts around her, "That's so cool." Barnes chuckled slightly.

"What happened?" Blake continued off of her last question. This time, Alex was the one who answered.

"The battle that brought the EDC to Remnant was a trap set by the Order to lure forces away from the station. They wanted to capture any classified files we had on prototype weapons and armor, as well as destroy the facility. General Barnes and the other four in this room decided they could only have one of those things. They overloaded the station's reactors after calling for an evacuation of all other personnel. They took down more Order soldiers with that single action than any battle in the war."

"Which brings something up." The Chief Engineer ended her silence. "By all logic, none of us should be here. An exploding fusion core would incinerate any organic life, not mentioning the vacuum of space that would follow even if you did survive."

"I'd say we should just be thankful that we're alive, Hilda." Barnes said.

"Did anything else survive the destruction of the station?" Ryland spoke up.

"As a matter of fact, yes, one last thing did make it through." Barnes beckoned for the others to follow him. A large, boxy vehicle, larger than the four aircraft they had combined, had been tucked into the back corner of the enlarged cave. Ruby suddenly understood why the entrance and ceiling were so tall. Her jaw dropped as she realized what the craft was.

"An EDC corvette?" Ryland whistled. "I think we own the air now, Bossman."

"Not so fast, Ryland." Alex waved a hand in his direction, "Does it fly?"

"I had to do some patch work," Bernstein spoke up, "but, she'll fly, yes. I wouldn't risk vacuum yet, though..."

The adults discussed housing the smaller aircraft in the ship. Ruby, meanwhile, was having trouble containing her giddiness at the prospect of riding in a spacecraft. Maybe not in space, but hey, she'd take what she could get.

* * *

Blake stood next to the rest of the group while Ryland, Alex, and the General seemed to be making plans off on their own. She jumped as her scroll emitted a loud ring. She pulled the device from her pocket.

"Who could be calling me?" She asked, staring at the "unknown caller" message shown on screen. She looked to Dimitri, who nodded. She pressed to accept the call. "Hello?"

"Blake, it's Adam." She froze. Why would her old partner from the White Fang be calling her?

"What do you-"

"Listen, there's no time to explain in detail!" There was a loud crash and yelling in the background of the call. Blake could pick out the sound of gunfire. "I'm sending you coordinates right now. Please, bring help! Human, Faunus, Anyone, I don't care!" The girl had never heard Adam's voice containing so much fear. Loud screeches of metal being ripped apart could be heard over the call. "Blake, please, hur-" The call suddenly cut out. Blake looked up to find Alex and Barnes standing nearby in front of her.

"Well, Miss Belladonna, it wouldn't do if we kept your friend waiting, would it?"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for today. A little shorter than usual, but I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for leaving reviews, favorites, and follows.**

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 **Dimas15: Maybe.**


	42. Chapter 41

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 41

Blake watched out the window on the Corvette's bridge. The ship was about twice the size of a large dustplane. She didn't take the time to observe the craft in any greater detail. Time seemed to move slowly for her and Adam's yells still echoed in her head.

The other members of their group had broken off to prepare for the impending fight. Blake jumped as Dimitri appeared behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Blake?"

"...No..."

"You're worried about your friend?"

"He's not- well, not anymore he isn't..." Dimitri sat in one of the bridge's empty seats, and gestured for Blake to take the one nearest to him.

"What happened?"

"When the White Fang started becoming violent...I didn't want anything to do with them anymore. Adam...thought of it as a necessary evolution..."

"So you left, and he stayed."

"Yes," Blake nodded, "but there's still this part of me that believes we can be friends again some day..."

"You may get that chance. Common foes have a way of bringing people together." Dimitri patted her head.

"Thank you." Her cheeks reddened slightly as the Russian ruffled her hair. Blake wouldn't have allowed anyone else, except maybe Firo, to come in contact with her like that.

* * *

Despite the weight in the air regarding the impending battle, Winter could not help herself in taking in the sight of the Corvette. The craft was designed with to be efficient to a degree that the Schnee could only dream to match. Whoever had made the blueprint for the ship was clearly a genius.

As she entered the spacious hangar that now housed the EDC's four aircraft, she stopped Charles talking to the General.

"My apologies for not speaking to you earlier, Charles. It's good to see you alive again."

"Likewise, Avery. Though, sounds like I was dead for quite a bit." Winter cocked her head and began to walk towards the pair. They knew each other?

"Indeed. Two years. I'm sure Alex has told you, but he did deliver-"

"-The heirloom to Jerloh. Yes, he did say that."

"Did he tell you what happened to him?" Winter stopped, suddenly feeling like she was listening in on something she shouldn't be.

"No. What happened to my son, Avery?" Charles demanded.

"Apparently, your death forced his power as Terror to manifest early, and he had some trouble controlling it."

"Damn it. He wasn't hurt too badly, was he?"

"Not as far as I know. Your boy was becoming quite the hero, so any injuries he got from lack of control must have been minor."

"'Minor' is a relative term when talking about Bloodlines, Avery. Losing control of an ability can be ugly. Aiko dislocated her shoulder the first time she used Rage. I'm just worried that he might've hurt himself." Charles sighed. "Now I feel like an idiot."

"You didn't _ask_ to die, my friend."

"I suppose not." The two men stood in silence. Winter heard Charles' boots thud against the metal floor as he turned. "Winter, you can come on out." She walked out from behind the stack of storage crates she had been hiding behind. "What did you need?"

"Nothing..." Her face heated with embarrassment. "I was just passing through, and I overheard you both...Curiosity got the better of me, I'm sorry." She bowed her head apologetically.

"It's fine, Winter." Charles pat her shoulder. "It's not like I go out of the way to hide things. Just join in next time."

"I- Alright." She paused for a second. "May I ask a question, then?"

"Fire away."

"How do you and the General know each other?" She immediately regretted asking as the two mens' faces darkened.

"Well," Barnes said, "That's quite a story there. Short version is that Charles and his friend, Aiko, saved my life during an operation that went bad twenty-some years ago." Winter's expression showed she didn't fully understand.

"Barnes here, before he got promoted to General, was assigned to run an EDC operation called Silver Bullet. Essentially, the mission was to eliminate the Order while it was still in its infancy." Charles explained.

"However," Barnes continued, "the EDC didn't understand the full extent of the Order's capabilities at the time. I and two other officers were assigned a contingent of twelve-thousand men and women. Only nine of us made it out alive. And that was thanks to Charles and Aiko."

"We showed up by chance. After Lem left, I managed to get in contact with Kyle and Aiko. The three of us spent our time trying to track him down. Kyle went off to search somewhere else at the time, while Aiko and I ended up following a lead right into the middle of Barnes' mission."

"After that fiasco, I kept in contact with Charles. We essentially worked as each others' informants." the General finished solemnly.

"I see." Winter said, the number of dead weighed upon her mind.

"Don't worry, Winter." Charles reassured her, as if reading her mind. "We won't allow something like that to happen here." She nodded, building up her determination.

"Attention all troops. Get your crap in order. We're arrving in five." A voice said brusquely over the ship's intercom.

"I see that Hilda is in a particularly fine mood." Barnes commented.

* * *

"Alright. Here's the plan." Alex pressed a button on a flat-topped round console, which showed a holographic map of the area. "Thanks to Chief Bernstein, we have some basic scans of the area. We know the entrance to the base is right here." he pointed to a gaping hole in the side of a mountain. "It looks like the enemy has possibly already left, but we can't be too careful. Teams will spread out and look for survivors. If you run into something, do not engage, fall back to the entrance, where the Corvette can blast anything chasing you."

"Not much of a plan..." Ryland commented.

"The mountain prevented the scans from getting anything on the facility's layout. It's a blind op." Several EDC soldiers openly groaned.

"That's the worst kind of op..."

* * *

Vortex turned as Roman entered his office, a large briefcase in his hand. The thief set the case on the Lord's desk.

"This is all the Void Dust that Chaos recovered from the White Fang base." Torchwick looked ill.

"You look unwell, Roman."

"Sorry, Lord...but seeing what Chaos did to that base when I went to pick up the Dust...let's just say that my partner is currently out of commission in the restroom..."

"Where is Chaos now." Vortex asked, his voice dangerous.

"He stayed at the base. I think he wanted...to finish off any survivors..."

"Damn it." Roman watched the Lord grit his teeth. "He is nothing but trouble."

* * *

Blake stepped lightly alongside Dimitri and Firo as they entered the White Fang base. The bunker's large metal door looked like something had ripped it open. The young girl's stomach turned as the scent of blood struck her nose. Dismembered corpses of Faunus lay strewn everywhere. The metal walls were stained with trails of red.

Blake heard Firo make a gagging noise and saw the older Faunus cover her mouth and nose with her hand. As the trio moved deeper into the base, the sights and smells only grew worse. Blake found herself trying to take fewer breaths.

"What could have done this?" Firo asked the Russian, who didn't seem to notice her question. "Dimitri?"

"Do you hear that?" he inquired. The two Faunus strained their ears, listening to the sounds floating about the base. Footsteps were coming towards them. "Camouflage. Now." The three of them vanished from sight as their modules activated. Blake's glasses' display outlined her two companions. Dimitri grabbed them both and pulled the girls off to the side. "Don't move."

There was a clear hint of worry in the Russian's voice. Blake did her best to hold still. The footsteps grew closer. A figure in White Fang armor rounded the corner, their rifle hanging in one hand. They appeared to be limping.

"It's not an enemy." Blake whispered. "And it looks like they're hurt." She moved slightly to push herself off the wall. Dimitri held her in place.

"Something's not right. It sounded like there were two sets of boots, not one."

"Maybe we just heard echoes?" Firo suggested quietly. The White Fang member suddenly froze in place, stopping in the middle of the hall a short ways away.

"We can't just leave him." Blake said. She wriggled out from Dimitri's grasp and stepped into the hallway. Dimitri's arms grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. The White Fang's head snapped up at an unnatural speed at the mirage-like glimmer of the active camouflage. Then, he exploded. Not in the traditional sense, but instead, shadowy spikes erupted out of his body, slashing deep gashes into the metal walls. Dimitri, thankfully, was able to pull Blake out of harm's way in time. As the spikes dissipated, Blake could swear she saw a shadow retreat back down the hallway.

Blake shook at how close she had just been to dying. Her desire to help the Faunus here had clouded her judgement, and she'd probably just fallen into a trap meant to catch survivors. Dimitri patted her head.

"It's alright, Blake." He scanned the halls. "We need to go." The Russian pressed the side of his helmet to transmit over his radio. "Boss, we've got trouble. We just ran into a Corrupted, and a well-made one."

"I'll pass the word around. You all get back to the entrance." Came the reply.

"Got it." Dimitri motioned for the girls to follow him back the way they came.

"What's a Corrupted?" Blake asked, knowing she probably wasn't going to like the answer.

"The Order experimented around with making small Shades called Corrupters. They take control of dead bodies, and then...well, you saw. Usually, they can be spotted, but sometimes it's hard to tell." Blake felt sick. What kind of person would use such a tactic?

"Is this Vortex's work?" Firo wondered.

"No. This is someone else's work. It's too inefficient." Dimitri shook his head.

* * *

Alex scanned the halls, which appeared to be clear for now. He had sounded the order to fall back to the base entrance. Luna and Ruby's eyes were darting to every shadow as they worked their way back up the corridors. Alex's heart jumped as a loud bang sounded to his left. He whipped towards it, shotgun at the ready.

"Hey! Greene!" He was greeted by the sight of a familiar woman with wolf ears and purple hair, he face behind a small glass slit in a wall.

"Vio?" Alex asked. "What are you doing in there?"

"What do you think?" Her voice was muffled through the door. "Hiding from those maniacs and their pets. Think you can let us out? The lock's jammed." Luna and Ruby both walked over.

"What if they're those Corrupted things?" Ruby's voice shook slightly.

"Corrupted can't talk, so Vio's fine." Alex leveled his shotgun at the door. "Alright everyone, stand back." With a blast, the Polymetal pellets tore a wide hole through the entrance, allowing it to be pulled open.

"Thanks, Greene. You saved our asses."

"No problem. Who else do you have in there?"

"Just two others. There were more of us, but..." She trailed off. A pair of women, one with mint-green hair and dark skin, and another with black hair, sat behind Vio. A covered body lay off to the side, a tuft of silver hair sticking out. "We had another go out and try to find other survivors, but he never came back."

"I hate to be the one to say it," Alex hesitated, "But he's probably gone."

"Hey aren't you two those Haven students?" Ruby seemed to recognize the other two women in the room.

"Um-" The mint-haired girl started.

"Not now, Ruby." Alex cut off the conversation. "We're headed out of here, come on." The three women gathered their weapon off the ground, then followed the soldier down the hall. "Everyone keep your eyes open." Luna, Ruby, and the Major all flinched as their radios sprung to life.

"Major! H-he's here! It's-" The voice of Corporal Landric yelled. There was a scream, then the transmission cut out.

"Landric! Dammit!" Alex swore. They had left the Corporal and the Vanguards at the entrance, which meant they'd have to go through whoever was waiting for them. "All units be aware, hostile contact at our exit."

* * *

Charles rounded the corner into the large room behind the destroyed base door. A single figure in black armor stood in the middle of their path. The entrance was embedded into the side of the mountain, so their enemy didn't have to be afraid of being hit by an attack from the Corvette. If he was even aware of it, that was.

"Terror? Didn't I kill you already?" The figure inquired idly. Charles motioned for Winter and Weiss to stay back.

"I guess not, Chaos."

"Huh. Usually, people die after getting stabbed through the heart." The Lord shrugged. "You've got some rather pretty girls with you..."

"Don't you dare-" Chaos disappeared before their very eyes.

"Oh, I think I dare." A sing-song reply came from behind Weiss and Winter. The sisters tried to turn on the voice, but found themselves rooted in place.

"Why can't I-" Winter saw shadowy tendrils extending from her own shadow. They had wrapped themselves around her arms and legs. Weiss was in the same situation.

"Hey!" Chaos grinned childishly and clapped his hands together once. "Terror, I just had a great idea. How about you make a choice? I'll let one of these girls go, of your choice, but I get the other one?" Winter felt a shiver travel down her spine.

"Better idea, Chaos. How about I put you in the ground where you belong?" Charles growled.

"Well, that'd be fun, but..." Winter let out a yelp of pain as one of the tendrils suddenly drew blood across her forearms. "I kinda hold all the cards right now." Winter saw Weiss attempting to reach something in her pocket with her fingertips while Chaos was distracted with Charles. Their older companion seemed to notice as well, and tried to keep the enemy's attention away from the younger Schnee.

"So, where are your troops, Chaos? I doubt that you'd come alone."

"Ugh, them. Vortex stapled a half-dozen Acolytes onto me. They got in the way of my fun, so I removed them." the Lord shrugged. "He didn't even really explain anything, just went 'Chaos, do this. Chaos do that.' But, whatever, it's worth it as long as I get some enjoyment out of it."

"You're still as much of a psychopath as ever, I see..." Charles' eyes quickly darted to Weiss, who had managed to pull a vial of snow-white Dust from her pocket. A small glyph appeared just below her hand. Charles calmly drew his sword and gun.

"Now, what do you think you're doing, Terror? Are you really going to risk your friend's lives by-" Chaos found himself suddenly blinded by a bright flash of light, which destroyed his shadows. Weiss and Winter both quickly ran away from Chaos, as Charles took advantage of the Lord's temporary confusion. "Hey! Hey! Whoa!" Charles rolled to the side as a sharp blade of shadow erupted from Chaos' feet. The attack sliced through Charles' handgun, removing most of the weapon's barrel and slide. "Now that's not fair!"

"You're one to talk about being fair..." Charles tossed his useless firearm aside.

"Yeah, you're right." Chaos admitted. More blades shot out from the Lord's shadow, Charles adopted a defensive stance, only for the blades to curve around him. The girls!

"WINTER!" Weiss screamed. Charles turned. Winter had stepped in front of the attack to protect her sister. Blades stabbed into her body in multiple locations, but no immediately lethal areas, as was Chaos' norm. Winter's body crumpled to the ground as her sister kept yelling her name.

"One down!" Chaos said cheerfully. Winter's clothing was stained with rapidly expanding deep red patches. "Normally, I'd have taken off her whole leg or something, but I mean you're here right now, so-" Chaos was cut off as he ducked a vicious slash, only to still have his nose broken by Charles' knee. "Hey, anger isn't your thing-" the Lord warped back several feet to avoid another swing. "Geez, it's just one girl, what's your problem?"

"You hurt my kids, you die."

* * *

Dimitri, Blake, and Firo entered the entryway at the same time as Alex's group. The whole base shook violently as it was rocked by explosions. Upon seeing Winter's injured form, Alex directed Luna to help the Schnees get out of the base. Ruby and Blake were quickly shuffled after them, along with the survivors. Firo and Dimitri followed the Major as he approached the hallway emitting the most sounds of combat. Charles was currently engaged with-

"What the hell is Chaos doing here?" Dimitri voiced Alex's concern.

"Not sure, but we're putting him down if we can." Alex switched to his rifle and aimed it down the hall. "Charles!" The Terror Bloodline rolled to the side as three automatic weapons were emptied down the hall. Chaos created a bubble around himself using his shadows.

"Aw, man. You brought Greene too? He's the worst kind of party-crasher." the Lord commented. He used his ability to warp back again as Charles resumed his offensive. "Look is this because I hurt your little friend? I mean it could've been worse, I could have-" A bullet tore through the Lord's left shoulder. Firo had managed to make a shot with her marksman rifle. Her eyes widened as Chaos was suddenly right in front of her. "That wasn't nice. I was talking." Firo found herself lifted by her ankle into the air by a shadowy hand.

Alex and Dimitri both leveled their weapons on the Lord. Charles was at their side with his sword. Firo found herself thrust between the Lord and her friends. He rifle was pulled from her grasp and crushed by yet more darkness.

"Now, what do you guys think I should do to this one? Oh, maybe I should even her out and get rid of that rabbit ear." Firo began to shake. Horrible thoughts erupted, unbidden, in her mind.

"Chaos..." Dimitri snarled, "If you lay a hand on her, I will-"

"You'll what? No lone Human is capable of standing up to me. Hell, it even takes more than just another Bloodline to fight _me_." Chaos laughed heartily. Firo struggled as she hung in the air. "What is it with all of you and the attractive women, anyway? I've got to know."

"Let. Firo. Go." Dimitri said slowly, attempting to circle around the Lord. He stopped as Chaos lifted a pair of blades to Firo's neck and ear.

"Nah, I think it'll be more fun if- GAH!" Chaos suddenly yelped out in pain and dropped Firo, who twisted out of the way of the razor-sharp shadows. Two deep cuts appeared across her cheek and clavicle as she fell. She caught sight of a deep red blade pierced through the Lord's thigh. "God damn, you're stubborn." Chaos turned to strike the person who had sneaked up on him. A bull Faunus went sprawling across the floor. He had red hair, and wore a White Fang mask and a black coat. He was horribly mangled, his right arm was gone at the elbow, and his left hand was missing its index finger.

Charles took the momentary lapse to gather his concentration. Chaos was suddenly thrown past the Faunus and sent sailing out the door. Alex acted quickly, realizing what Charles wanted to do.

"General, fire on the target that just got thrown out the door!" Chaos thudded onto the earth underneath the sun. His head whipped up at the sound of several loud blasts. He created another bubble of shadows as the Corvette's cannons smashed into the ground were he stood. "Did that get him?"

"Nope!" Chaos called from the crater around him. His shadows no longer maintained their shapes well, and his bubble was beginning to collapse. "But, I won't be able to kill the rest of you _and_ go back, so...Toodles!" Both the Bloodline and his bubble vanished as the second volley of cannon shots impacted where he stood."

* * *

Alex and Charles were both in similarly bad moods. Ryland and Arthur's teams had finally come out of the base after encountering a large group of Corrupted. The White Fang base was essentially wiped out, with the exception of only four. The main problem was Chaos. Charles and the EDC together might be able to fight Vortex, because they at least knew he wouldn't do anything too underhanded. Chaos was a completely different beast, he was a monster in every sense of the word. He had no qualms using hostages, torture, or murder to get whatever he wanted.

Alex sighed and reviewed the aftermath of the battle. Landric's squad had run into Chaos and been torn apart. There hadn't even been enough of Landric left to identify her. Both of their Vanguards were gone. They'd moved the bull Faunus, who Blake had said was Adam, into the Corvette's medbay. Things weren't looking too good for him, but Dimitri had asked him to refrain from supplying Blake with any distressing news for now.

Ruby had indeed been right in her identification of the two women that had been with Vio. As it turned out, they had been two of the infiltrators at Beacon, though their third member had perished in the attack. They had called Ironwood to take custody of the ringleader, but Arthur had vehemently demanded that Alex not hand over the mint-haired girl. He wasn't sure what the Guardian was thinking, but he had left the girl out of his report to the Atlesian General.

Charles had immediately stormed off to see Winter. He was upset with himself for being unable to kill Chaos for hurting the Schnee sisters. Aside from that, their friends from Remnant were all looking shaken at what they had seen. Even some members of the EDC had adopted ill expressions from the carnage they had seen.

Alex leaned against a wall. Things were looking quite grim.

* * *

"YOU DID _WHAT!_?" Vortex roared at the unapologetic Chaos.

"Hey, they got in the way." The younger Lord shrugged.

"YOU KILLED SIX OF OUR OWN SOLDIERS! DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW FEW OF US THERE ARE?!"

"Geez, no need to yell. We've got two Bloodlines, they have one, and the two of us already killed that Bloodline once. What's the problem?" Chaos rolled his eyes as the yelling started again.

Neo shuddered as the sound of Vortex's yelling traveled down the halls. Roman placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to their regular meeting spot with Zephyr and Erwin. Both of the thieves wore dark expressions on their faces.

"How did the Order allow a monster like that into its ranks?" Roman asked Zephyr. He didn't need to specify who he was referring to.

"I don't know..." the Acolyte replied, "If it were up to me, I would have never let him join. But, when High Lord Esprit left, and Lord Agony took his place..." Roman quirked an eyebrow. There were unfamiliar names in her answer. He'd ask some other time. It looked like Chaos equally unsettled all four individuals present.

"I want to talk to you two about something, consider it a proposition." Roman said. "Well, actually, Neo suggested it." The mute girl nodded.

"What is it?" Erwin asked, leaning in so Roman didn't have to speak loudly.

"If Vortex dies...then that psychopath becomes the new head of the Order forces, right?"

"..Yes..." Zephyr confirmed.

"If that happens, Neo wants to know if the two of you would like to come with us."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry about it taking longer than usual to write this chapter. Now, we should be back on track, though. Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Arukune: Well, I've been trying to write each character I introduce as human as possible, even if they don't get much time in the story.**

 **Derox-1223: I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!**

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 **Deathknight999: Adam's in an even worse position now. Emerald and Arthur will be addressed next chapter.**

* * *

 **A/N 2: So, as of today, I have finished the outline for Legends Scatter. If nothing changes due to a whim of mine, we are looking at 52 main chapters total, not including the prologue and epilogue.**


	43. Chapter 42

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 42

Emerald sat up as the door of the room she had been given opened. She wasn't sure why, but the soldiers that had rescued them weren't treating her as a prisoner. She was surprised as she caught sight of a familiar face.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Emerald. Your leader chose a bad time to go searching for the White Fang."

"...So, you know..." Emerald's heart dropped. Arthur probably hated her, saw her as an enemy. The blond cocked his head at her sullen expression.

"I'm not going to hold it against you. That would be hypocritical of me."

"What do you mean?" The mint-haired girl asked, confused by his statement.

"Like you, my team was undercover at Beacon. Though, it was at the Headmaster's request."

"So...you, were investigating...us?"

"Yes."

"I guess that's karma..." Emerald muttered. She had spent her whole life hiding behind masks and lies, it made sense someone else would eventually-

"We _are_ friends, Emerald." Arthur clarified, "After spending time with you, I can tell you're a good person, even if you commit crimes." Now the thief was just completely befuddled. He still thought of her as a friend? After catching her almost literally red-handed? Who-

"Who are you, really, Arthur?"

"I suppose a reintroduction is in order." He nodded. "My name is Arthur Raphael. At Beacon, I was the leader of the now disbanded team ARGO. In truth, I am the sole surviving member of Guardian team Theta. Some call me 'Judge'." Emerald saw his expression falter on the words "sole survivor". That meant the people he'd been with at Beacon were...

"I'm Emerald Sustrai," She replied, "...and I guess I'm not much of anything besides a thief at the moment." She held out her hand to Arthur to shake, only for the boy to pull her to her feet.

"I would like to make you an offer, Emerald." Arthur looked her dead in the eyes.

 _Damn it, heart! He's being serious! Now is NOT the time!_

"Would you like to join me? Leave your past behind and make up for the crimes you have committed?" She couldn't believe her ears. He was just offering her a second chance?

"I-Yes! I would lo- like to!" Emerald replied louder than she intended.

"Thank you." Arthur said.

"I should be thanking you!" The blond found his neck wrapped in the girl's arms. She released him and backed away. A happy grin spread across her face, and Arthur found himself smiling back. "I'm not sure about your name though. I think most judges would keep me locked up."

* * *

Alex and Charles had reentered the White Fang base, now accompanied by General Ironwood's newly arrived forces. The two EDC soldiers were closely followed by Luna. Dimitri and Firo had stayed with Blake, who was currently watching over her injured friend. Ryland and Carbon were similarly occupied with constructing some prosthetics for the wounded bull Faunus. Arthur had helped stabilize the young man, then he had gone off to deal with the girl with dark skin and green hair. This left the current trio to clear the wrecked hideout with the Atlesians.

"Major Greene, sir!" A soldier walked up to the three of them, his squad on his heels. "We found something on the body of an Order solider that might interest you." The Atlesian's squadmate handed him a clear Dust crystal, which he in turn gave to Alex.

"What is this?"

* * *

Adam stirred, his first emotion being confusion at still being alive. He'd stabbed that _monster_ , since it barely qualified as a man, knowing that he would perish. In the corner of his vision, he caught sight of a black bow, one he hadn't seen in years.

 _Blake..._ The cat Faunus that had once been his partner was slumped in a chair next to the bed he was in. Even though Adam had called her...he hadn't expected his old partner to actually come to his rescue.

"She finally fell asleep, hm? It's about time, she looked exhausted." A voice Adam did not recognize spoke softly, as to not wake the sleeping girl. It was accented in an unfamiliar way as well. Adam turned his head, greeted by the sight of a bearded man with brown hair and a bear-like physique. Furthermore, he was a Human. A _Human_ was helping him? A member of the White Fang? "Dimitri Averin." The man introduced himself. "And by what Blake has said, you're Adam Taurus?"

"Yes." There was something that struck Adam as familiar about the strange Human, but he couldn't quite place it. "I guess I have to thank you for my rescue?"

"Not me in particular. It was a team effort."

"So..." Adam paused briefly, "What now? I assume I will be handed over to the Atlesians?"

"We haven't finished ironing out all the details, but that's not the plan. Blake asked whether you and your remaining comrade could join us."

"'Remaining'..."

"We haven't found any other survivors in your base, I'm sorry." Adam felt like his blood had frozen in his veins. There had been hundreds of them in that base. The thought of being only one of two left was...

"If it will allow me to work alongside Blake and avenge my fallen comrades...I will work with anyone, even Humans." Adam hardened his resolve. Dimitri pulled up a chair and sat so he was at eye level with the Faunus.

"I'm glad to hear that you've still got fight left in you, but let's make one thing clear. The people aboard this ship belong to none of the four kingdoms. We don't care whether you're a Human or Faunus. You're going to have to check your problems at the door, got it?" Adam quirked an eyebrow? Humans and Faunus working together as equals? So may had tried it and failed, what was different? Was it really possible? He made up his mind.

"Yes. I understand."

* * *

Alex stood on the Corvette's bridge, surrounded by the remaining members of their group and the newly arrived General Ironwood. The mint-haired girl was standing behind Arthur. Alex had placed the clear Dust crystal on the central console on the bridge. Weiss and Winter had both quickly identified the substance as Void Dust.

"Void Dust? What is used for?" Alex eyed the material.

"Nothing," Weiss answered, "The Schnee Dust Company doesn't even mine for it, because all it does is look nice."

"There is always the legend surrounding it, though" Winter added. She noticed the room full of confused looks. Nothing from the members of the EDC, but the Remnant natives all nodded. "Oh, wait. Right. There's a story that Void Dust can be used to power an ancient temple that grants wishes. That's the short version."

"It's just a legend though." Ironwood said. "Isn't it?"

"Well, that's not completely true..." The dark skinned girl next to Arthur spoke up. "Cinder...she found evidence that the temple really exists. She was still working to find out where exactly, but...she might be able to get you started..." She made a small "eep" sound and moved back as she made eye contact with Ironwood. Before the General could ask how she even knew about Cinder, Arthur ended the conversation.

"Thank you, Em." She wasn't sure why he'd suddenly shortened her name, but the reduction in formality felt good. Ironwood seemed to catch the hint that this line of discussion was not open for pursuit.

"Very well." The General crossed his arms. "I will find out what our prisoner knows."

* * *

"Look, this will be much easier for everyone involved if you just talk." Ironwood growled at the dark-haired woman. Cinder remained perfectly silent, a wide-eyed expressions stuck on her face. She wasn't even looking at Ironwood, she just stared at the wall. The General grit his teeth. The woman had not uttered a single word since her rescue. Greene and his companion in the trench coat had suggested that she was in some state of shock. "I will be back shortly."

Ironwood pushed himself off the table between them, and strode out the door in a huff. Cinder didn't even seem to notice his departure. As the door shut behind him, the General rubbed his temples with his thumbs.

"Trouble?" Ironwood turned. A man of dark complexion, wearing EDC colors, but no armor, stood before him. He was clearly an officer, but Ironwood hadn't taken the time to introduce himself. "Oh, how rude of me. Avery Barnes, General of the EDC." The man extended a hand.

 _Barnes? So this is Greene's old CO._ _He's older than I thought._ Ironwood shook the man's hand. "James Ironwood. She hasn't said anything the whole time I've tried interrogating her. It's possible she's incapable of speaking."

"Want me to take a shot at it?" Barnes asked calmly.

"I've tried every trick in the book." Ironwood shrugged.

"Then maybe you've got to try something outside the manual."

* * *

Cinder was in a daze. All of her work, all her plans, laid to ruin by a crazed psychopath in armor. He'd even killed his own men. The memories made her shiver. Cinder had seen her share of death, both by her own hand and others'...but, that _thing_ , that _monster_...he had taken his time with his victims. Once he knew they were too weak to fight back, he had savored killing them. Cinder had heard the screams through the door of the room they had hidden in. Often they begged for him to stop or just kill them, but he had just laughed. She shook. That sound would haunt her dreams forever.

Cinder vaguely registered the seat opposite her squeak across the metal floor. Had Ironwood come back to demand more answers of her? No, this was someone else. A man in drab green and tan clothing.

"Hello, Miss Fall. My name is Avery Barnes." He placed a mug filled with water in front of her. "I assume you must be thirsty?" Cinder eyed the cup warily, but found that it only seemed to be water. She took a hesitant sip, and upon finding it safe, downed the whole thing.

"Thank you..." She wiped a stray droplet from her mouth. "I guess you want the same thing as Ironwood?"

"Yes, James and I are interested in the same thing, but I will tell you why. That bastard that you saw, the one who tore that base to shreds? He works with someone else who is after this temple of yours. _We_ want to stop him."

"What makes you think you can stop that monster?"

"Miss Fall, the kingdoms of Remnant might not be experienced with dealing with things like him, but my troops and I? We've spent twenty-six years fighting people like him."

"How-" Cinder was puzzled by Barnes' proclamation for a moment, before coming to a realization. "...You...and that thing...aren't from Remnant?"

"You'd be correct in that assumption, yes." He nodded. "Miss Fall, we can stop him, but only if you help us try to get one step ahead of him."

"...The North-West continent...I...narrowed the search down to there, but..."

"That will do just fine."

"... I wish I had more..."

"If you want to continue your search, I can see about having some materials and a work station brought up for you. You'd have to monitored so James' doesn't have a heart attack, but..."

"That would be nice...I agree..."

* * *

Barnes softly closed the door behind himself and Cinder, who was escorted away by a handful of Atlesian soldiers back to the room they were holding her in, since the Corvette lacked any cells.

"Impressive, Barnes." Ironwood said. "But I fail to see how my method was all that different."

"We asked the same questions, James, but not in the same way. A little bit of basic Human dignity goes a long way."

"So you were just...less forceful?" Ironwood was confused. "You approached her like a civilian?"

"You're a good soldier, James. I was just like you were once, but I think you'll find that most people aren't as bad as you believe."

"Except this 'Chaos'."

"Except for him, yes."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, back on schedule for now. As we reach the endgame here, chapters might take a little longer to come out occasionally. I apologize in advance for any delays that may occur.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Dghornick: I did toy with idea of killing him at one point, but decided it would be more interesting to keep him around.**

 **Stevealio: It's beginning.**

 **Dimas15: Yes, I plan on doing more stories, potentially even a sequel to this story. I will be taking a short break after I post the epilogue though.**

 **Arukune: Thanks for staying with it this long!**


	44. Chapter 43

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 43

"So...the North-west..." Ironwood rubbed his chin while he, Barnes, and Alex stood around a map of Remnant. "That presents...a problem..."

"How so?" Barnes inquired, looking up from the map.

"The region is almost completely unexplored, and the one expedition that was ever sent was swarmed by Grimm immediately. It's not a hospitable place."

"Hm..." A thoughtful expression crossed Barnes' face.

"I know that look," Alex commented, "What's the play, General?"

"It's risky, but...the Corvette could easily sweep the continent from the air."

"We'd have to split our forces though, so some EDC troopers could continue looking for the Order base here in Vale." Alex pointed out.

"You're right. That is risky..." Ironwood agreed. "But if anyone can pull something like this off..."

"It's a risk we're going to have take." Barnes stated firmly. "Alex, you're in charge of the forces staying here. James, can I trust you to provide him with support?"

"Of course."

"Good. I'll take the Corvette, minimum crew capacity. I'm going to be taking Miss Fall along as well, so she can provide further assistance in locating the temple." Ironwood opened his mouth to object, but decided not to. "Alex, you take both the Albatrosses, a few dozen Talons, and whoever else is left."

"I'll keep them alive, sir." the Major nodded.

"I know you will."

* * *

Barnes had finalized his roster, taking the members of Cerberus, Bernstein, Cinder, and a few others. Ironwood provided him with several squads to help run the Corvette. Alex did a quick headcount of his group.

Dimitri was loading crates of supplies onto one of the Albatrosses. Firo and Blake each held a crate of their own, trailing behind the Russian. Arthur was introducing the mint-haired girl, Emerald, to Mac and Anika. Ryland and Carbon were being tossed Talon drones by Yang for storage. Winter and Weiss were checking their stockpiles of Dust while Charles helped with loading the aircraft. Ruby and Luna were showing the two Faunus, Adam and Vio, around. Their pair of pilots were running diagnostics on their craft.

 _Yep. That's everyone._

"You're Major Greene?" Alex turned to face Adam, who had walked over to him.

"That's me. You're Adam, right?"

"Yes," the Faunus nodded. "I just wanted...to thank you...for saving Vio and myself...and for giving us a chance to help."

"Well, you aren't really in a position to help quite yet..." Alex noted the fact that Adam was still not outfitted with prosthetics. "That should be fixed soon, though."

"Nevertheless...thanks..." The young man, despite being a member of the White Fang, had warmed quickly to the open and equal camaraderie that the EDC had. Well, maybe "warmed" wasn't the correct word, but he was definitely growing less hostile as he recovered.

"Not a problem. Just take it easy for now, you'll be back in the fight before you know it." Adam nodded and walked away. He was almost immediately replaced by Luna. "Hi, Luna."

"Hi, Alex..." She looked like she wanted to say something, "This is it, isn't it? We're almost done?"

"Yeah, it's almost over." Alex caught the sadness in her eyes. "Luna, what's wrong?"

"I- I just wanted to thank you...in case I don't make it through this..."

"Luna, I won't let you or any of the others die-"

"In case _you_ don't make it, then. I need to say...before it's too late, that- Thank you for being there for me. I-"

"Yo, Bossman! I need your opinion on where we're putting these Talons!" Ryland yelled from the other side of the hangar."

"I'll be right there! Sorry, Luna. We'll talk more later, okay?" Alex rushed over to help the younger EDC operative.

"Yeah...later..."

* * *

"Alright. All systems check out. Spinning up rotors. We're off, Major." The pilot reported.

"Good. Let me know if anything comes up."

"Will do, sir."

Alex exited the cockpit, catching sight of Ruby hunched over in a chair. She appeared to be fiddling with something in her hands. As he drew closer, the soldier realized the student was holding Aya's dented dog tags.

"Ruby?" Her head shot up. "You alright? You look a bit worn out."

"Yeah, Alex, I'm fine..." the girl replied.

"You don't sound fine." He lowered himself so he was at eye-level with her. "What's wrong?"

"It's..." She looked back down at Aya's tags. "This is war, isn't it? Back at Beacon, we only talked about it in Doctor Oobleck's class...The lessons didn't even come close to showing how horrible war is..."

"I won't sugarcoat this, Ruby...this _is_ war, but it doesn't have to be yours if you don't wan-"

"I _do_ want to...if the Order wins, then the whole world could end up like that base...but, I can't stop thinking about how everything is paid for with lives...Lives like Miss Aya's..."

"Ruby," Alex took both her hands in his. It suddenly struck him how small the girl was. She had so often displayed intellect and heart beyond her age, the soldier had almost forgotten she was still only a teenager. She really was like a Guardian... "I can't make any promises, but I will do everything in my power to make sure we don't lose our friends."

"That means you too." Ruby looked at him sadly. "You're a friend, and the best brother-figure anyone could ask for. Make sure none of us lose you. Promise?" Hadn't he just said he couldn't- No, he could do this one thing for her.

"I promise."

* * *

Emerald looked herself over. Arthur had procured a set of EDC armor for her, and had shifted its colors to match her usual pale green and white. She practiced drawing her weapons, a pair of hand scythe-pistols, from their sheathed location on her back.

"Wow, it's really easy to move in."

"Well, the EDC has a knack for efficiency." Arthur chuckled. Emerald weighed a question in her mind. Well, no time like the present...

"Hey, Arthur...I was wondering...about that... _guy_..."

"Chaos?"

"Yeah... What makes him special compared to you?" She'd heard the term "Bloodline" get thrown around when the two EDC troopers, Anika and Mac, had helped bring her up to speed on the situation. She understood that "Auras", people with abilities, were not considered a normal occurrence in Arthur's world. So Chaos was one of these Bloodlines, what exactly did that entail?

"Chaos is the current inheritor of the Bloodline of Discord. He wields an ability passed down through his family that gives him powers to cause exactly what his name suggests. Illusions. Puppeteering. Confusion. Those are his tools."

"And you don't have something like that?"

"No, I do not." Arthur shook his head. "Bloodlines are even less common than a normal Aura. With thousands of people like me floating around, there were only twelve true Bloodlines fighting in the war."

" _True_ Bloodlines?"

"Technically, thirteen people with Bloodline abilities were fighting, but one of their creations was...unique. Usually, only someone of the Reaper or Esprit lines, one of the original two, could create a new Bloodline. However...Agony...sought to create more powerful Auras, and he ended up creating Despair...Though, from what I understood, he destroyed his own ability to pass on his own Bloodline in the process."

"So...thirteen more powerful than everyone else?" Emerald simplified it to herself aloud.

"Yes."

"Could you beat one?"

"If I still had my team, we might have been able to hold one off." Emerald quickly regretted asking that question, seeing Arthur's expression fall. The Guardian was surprised as Emerald grabbed hold of him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, Em. No one lives forever."

* * *

"So, you want to explain why you're currently hiding in there?" Carbon quirked an eyebrow at Ryland, who was indeed concealing himself within one of the Light Combat Vehicles aboard the Albatross.

"I may or may not have dropped a Talon, which may or may not have pulled off a strand of Yang's hair, and she may or may not be out for my blood." The young soldier replied.

"I see. YANG! I FOUND HIM!" Carbon called.

"Traitor!"

"Geez, Ry, calm down." Yang's voice said. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

"That's where you add the 'badly' to the end, isn't it?" He peeked over the edge of the LCV's seat.

"No, why would I do that?"

"Because I saw what you did to that Beowolf that clipped your hair before..." Ryland remembered the rather frightening sight of Yang beating the Grimm to death in a fury, during one of their searches for the Order prior to arriving at the White Fang base. "...and I'd like to keep my remaining limbs intact." Ryland was puzzled as the girl's expression became saddened, rather than angered.

"Look, just...come out, I'm not going to hit you." The soldier hesitantly opened the door of the LCV and stepped out. Something was off.

"I'll leave you two alone. Don't cause any more trouble, please." Carbon walked away, leaving Ryland and Yang standing next to the LCV.

"Yang, is something wrong?"

"Ry, do I scare you or something?"

"Not when you're calm." He answered honestly.

"I'm sorry. I'll...try to be a bit calmer, then." What was going on?

"You didn't get angry, though...so, what's there to change? I ran because I thought you were going to blow up and beat the crap outta me..."

"Ry, I know that I can get...excited...at times, during fights...and even out of them sometimes...but, seeing you run...it...hurt..." Ryland noticed how the girl's lilac eyes were gathering tears.

"Hey, Yang, it's not your fault." Ryland dropped the playful pretenses. "What's wrong, really?"

"It's...just something I realized...people tend to avoid me because of my personality, they think I'm vain, crazy, things like that... Even the friends I had from Signal Academy drifted away...because they thought I was dangerous to be around...When you ran away, I thought..."

"Agh, Damn it, Yang..." Ryland grabbed the girl in an embrace. After a moment of surprise, she returned it. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"So you're not-"

"I'd never be afraid of you."

"Thanks, Ry..."

* * *

"Blake." The cat Faunus looked up from her book, a hardcover novel from Earth that had been somehow floating around in the EDC's supplies. Dimitri had figured that she would appreciate the distraction. She returned her thoughts to the matter at hand.

"Adam." He pulled up a chair with his one hand, and sat across from her. They sat silently across from each other.

"I see you're still as much of a bookworm as always."

"I actually haven't read all that much for the past couple of months...It's a welcome diversion."

"Blake, I-"

"There's nothing for you to explain, Adam." The student felt her heart ice over as she stared at her old partner's face. All the feelings she had towards the young man came flooding back as if they were brand new, specifically fury. "You wanted to kill innocent men and women. You _did_."

"Bla-"

"I gave you the chance to leave, to turn away from becoming a monster, but you..." She trailed off as conflicting emotions began to mix. She returned to looking at her book, signaling that she no longer wished to speak. Adam sat in awkward silence, before giving up.

"Blake, for what it's worth...I've often wished I'd left with you that day..." He got up from his seat, and walked away from her.

* * *

Roman entered their regular meeting place, the mess hall, with Neo trudging behind him. Today, their Faunus and Order friend seemed to be in rather unhappy moods. Zephyr was sitting with her cheek pressed against the cold metal of the mess hall table, while Erwin sat next to her, patting the Acolyte's back, but looking generally confused.

"I'm not really sure how often those tables get cleaned, Zeph. You might not want to lay there." Roman suggested. Neo slid past him and sat next to Zephyr, joining Erwin in rubbing the girl's back.

The female thief gave her a look that seemed to ask, "What's wrong?" Over the course of their interactions, Erwin and Zephyr had both gotten rather adept at reading Neo's expressions like Roman.

"Have you...ever doubted what you were doing was the right thing?" Zephyr asked, her face still planted firmly on the table.

"I've never doubted what I was doing was _wrong_. I am a thief, after all..." Roman joked, slightly disappointed by the lack of any reaction. Both Neo and Erwin, however, nodded at the Acolyte's question.

"I don't know what to do...Lord Vortex has always been an honorable leader, but working with Chaos...I'm not sure I can agree with that..."

"Well, Zeph," Roman said, "Whatever you choose is up to you, because honestly, you and Erwin are two of the most sane people in this place."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm okay with most of this chapter, I think.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Dimas15: Thanks for being understanding.**

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	45. Chapter 44

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 44

"All I want to do is look around outside, what's the issue?"

"Because, Chaos, I know what your 'looking around' would entail." Vortex replied to the younger Lord.

"So I kill a couple people during my walk, I still don't see a problem."

"Of course _you_ don't." Vortex snarled. "You have no concern for keeping our movements and location secret." Chaos shrugged. "Think about it this way: for every person you kill, it increases the likelihood of others joining our enemies.

"Oh yeah, about that. Whatever White Fang are left are probably hooking up with the EDC."

"Which is exactly what I'm attempting to explain to you! We do not need to face _more_ foes."

"Come on, just let me do my thing! If anyone joins up with the EDC, it just gets more fun for me." Chaos tried to reason.

"I will not tell you again. You will _not_ take any action the jeopardizes the effort and planning I have put into this endeavor."

"The plan which you still haven't shared with me." Chaos placed his hands idly behind his head. "I might be able to avoid stepping on your toes if you were more open. Hell, it feels like you even told the troops to not inform me about what you've cooked up."

"I did."

"Really? Why? What benefit is there to keeping me in the dark?"

"That is none of your concern, Chaos. You will do as I say. There will be no slaughter of innocents or any other course of action that would put our efforts in danger."

"Aren't we technically peers?"

"This conversation is over. Out."

"Fine." Chaos shrugged and kept an indifferent expression of his face, but Vortex could feel the killing intent emanating off of the younger Lord. He exited the room, closing the door with much more force than required.

Vortex breathed a sigh of frustration. Chaos was volatile and dangerous, but he was also a combat asset that he couldn't just throw away. He'd been trying to keep the psychopathic Bloodline under control, but every day it seemed to grow more difficult. Vortex also knew that Chaos' seeming indifference was partially an act. He'd seen enough of the man on Earth to know that Chaos was far more calculating and manipulative than he let on. Letting someone like him know about the temple could end very badly for anyone involved.

* * *

Neo yawned and stretched as she exited her room. Roman was off on a job for Vortex, collecting more Void Dust, which left her alone in the hideout with the Order. Calling it an uncomfortable experience was an understatement. Erwin and Zephyr offered a little relief from the amount of sheer terror Neo held towards the Order, but Neo avoided almost every member of the organization like the plague.

The mute girl checked her scroll for the time. Almost midnight. Erwin and Zephyr had both turned in for the night, but Neo had stayed up. Ever since she and Roman had started working together, she'd always wait for him to come back. Staying up so late was a taxing process, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be resolved with a mug of coffee or tea.

Neo quietly pattered her way down her dark metal hallways towards the mess hall. She gently pushed open the door, then worked her way through the unlit room into the kitchen. She flicked on the dim light attached to one of the ovens, then began her search for a teabag or a packet of instant coffee. She found an almost empty box of the latter, and acquired herself a mug. A short while later, she had a warm cup in her hands.

Neo took an appreciative sip of the scalding liquid, then winced slightly at the flavor. She'd forgotten to add any sugar. This matter was quickly fixed with as Neo tossed a copious amount of sugar cubes into the drink, along with a dash of vanilla extract. Thankfully, Roman wasn't here to make comments about her sweet tooth.

Neo whirled around suddenly. It felt like somebody was watching her. Upon seeing only the stagnant darkness behind her, Neo shook her head. Perhaps she was more tired than she had initially thought. She picked up her mug and exited the room, still not being able to quite shake the feeling of being observed.

As she walked down the hallway, Neo felt a creeping terror enter her gut. She could swear she heard footsteps, but every time she checked, the corridor remained devoid of any living being or Shade. She took a right onto the hall containing her room. Wait, had this wall always been here? Instead of the long pathway with doors, Neo found herself staring at a dead end. Had the exhaustion caught up with her? Had she made a wrong turn somewhere?

She shook her head. It must be her imagination. She took a gulp of her coffee. Maybe she'd think straighter with some caffeine in her system. She turned around and walked back the way she came, taking a left to go back down the hallway towards the kitchens...only to turn into another dead end. What was going on? She turned around, there wasn't even an intersection behind her. She was boxed in. Panic suddenly crept into Neo's heart. What was happening? Was she hallucinating? She reached out to touch the dead end in front of her. Maybe it wasn't even there?

Her hand brushed against frigid steel. A quick check provided identical information for the other three walls surrounding her. Her panic increased. Maybe if she just tried to run through one of the walls? She readied herself, then dashed towards the metal panel in the direction she had been headed in. Her head cracked against the cold metal, causing Neo to fall to the ground and spill her coffee on herself and the floor. However, two of the walls vanished, revealing Roman coming down the hall. Suddenly, the bowler cap wearing thief exploded. Not with fire or sound...just blood. Neo scrambled away from the horrific sight, her back suddenly impacting what felt like a leg.

"Alright. I've had my fun." Neo slowly turned her head, finding a grinning Chaos behind her. She felt her body's fight-or-flight instinct kick in at the Lord's predatory smile. Neo shivered. "It's amazing what you can manipulate in Human senses with some effort, isn't it? I usually don't have the time to craft such detailed and vivid illusions."

The coffee soaked thief got to her feet and backed away as quickly as possible from the Lord. Her legs froze in place, the feeling of being bound slowly traveling up her body. Chaos chuckled.

"Now, now, don't go running away." Neo looked down at the shadowy tendrils holding her in place. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm doing this? Well, it's quite simple actually. I have some questions that I want answered, and I figured I'd make a friend to help answer them." The Lord's face split into a sneer.

* * *

"Ry, you're still up?" Yang asked. She'd heard the sounds of the boy's working after she had gotten up to use the toilet, and upon also seeing light, had gone over to investigate.

"Hm?" Ryland looked up from the Talon drone he was working on. "Oh, Yang. Yeah, just making sure all these guys are in working order."

"You know it's like...one in the morning, right?"

"Is it? I didn't noti-agh!" the young soldier let out a muted yelp as his hand slipped and a heavy wrench landed on his knee. He quickly rubbed the injured spot. Yang was next to him in an instant. She backed up once he assured her he was fine.

"Geez...be more careful..." She quietly berated him. "And get some sleep while you're at it."

"I've got it, I just have fourteen more bots to check through. After that, I can-"

"Ry." Yang stated firmly. "Bed. Now."

"At once, _Mother_." He quipped back as Yang lightly punched him in the arm.

"I'm serious, Ry." Yang grabbed the boy and dragged him from his seated position at his worktable. Despite being a trained soldier, Ryland was nowhere near as strong as the blonde girl. "What is it with you guys from Earth and overworking yourselves? Ruby had to scold Alex for the exact same thing." Ryland found himself being led by the hand back to his quarters. Yang opened the door and essentially threw the soldier on top of the bed. Ryland lay on his back and stared the ceiling, he'd pretend to humor Yang, and once she was asleep, he could return to-

"Oof!" Ryland had the air pushed out of his lungs as a weight landed itself on top of him. A blonde, female weight, in fact. "Yang? What're you-"

"One, I'm too tired to even walk back to my room." Ryland's face was now reddening at the rather awkward position he and Yang were in. "And two, this way you'll actually sleep, and won't go wandering off after I leave."

 _Damn, she saw through the plan._ Ryland was currently pressing himself against the metal wall, attempting to extricate himself from the girl's tight embrace around him. His wriggling was to no avail.

"What?" Yang asked as she used his shoulder as a pillow. "You can dish out all the flirty lines, but can't handle actual contact?" Ryland sighed. It looked like he was stuck for the night.

"I guess there are worse ways to spend a night than being hugged by an attractive girl." He admitted.

"That's the spirit..." Yang replied sleepily. The two of them lay together in silence for several moments. "Ry...I'm sorry about your arm..." The girl touched the metal limb. "If I hadn't-"

"Hey, we've gone over this. It wasn't your fault, and I got a kickass arm out of it. I ended up the winner, I think." _Plus, you and I have been closer ever since._ Ryland added mentally.

"Hm." Yang nodded. Several more moments of quiet followed. "Ry, after all this is over...what are you going to do?"

"...I hadn't really thought about it...I guess...I'd look for a way home? I don't know, honestly."

"What if you...y'know...didn't? Go back, I mean..."

"Yang? Are you asking me to stay?"

"Yeah...Ry, I've known you for only about half a year...but, you're the best friend I've ever had. You're nice, open..." She muttered the last word as she yawned into Ryland's shoulder, muffling whatever it was. "I don't want to say good bye."

"...Then, you won't have to..."

"Thanks, Ry..." He felt her cheeks move to form a smile. "Love you..." She spoke into his shoulder again, preventing him from hearing the words clearly.

"What was that last bit?"

"G'night, Ry."

"...Night, Yang."

* * *

Firo's sensitive hearing picked up the quiet conversation between Yang and Ryland, as her quarters were adjacent to the young soldier's. She'd even heard Yang's muffled confession. The Faunus mentally kicked herself. She had yet to talk to Dimitri about how she felt towards him, despite Winter's encouragement. What if he didn't feel the same? Would she lose him forever if he knew?

However, hearing Yang talk to Ryland somehow caused Firo's confidence to push itself over the edge she needed. The rabbit Faunus threw her covers off and pushed herself off the bed. If a teenage girl could work up the courage to confess to somebody, then she could too! She opened the door and crossed the hall to Dimitri's quarters. She raised her hand to knock, steeling herself for what was to come.

"Firo?" The Russian's voice asked. The woman turned to find Dimitri staring at her from a seat out in the Albatross' mid-section. "Did you need something?" The mix of embarrassment and the sight of the person holding her affection cause Firo's brief confidence to evaporate.

"I- I, um- I mean- I just-" Her composure flew out the window, deteriorating further as Dimitri got up to check on her. He placed a bare hand on her forehead.

"Are you feeling alright? You haven't stammered this much since we first met."

"I- Y-yes, I- I'm f-fine!"

"What's the problem? It looked like you wanted to see me for something."

"I was coming to confess to you that I love you, and that I have for a long while, then you were out here instead of your room and it startled me, so I got flustered!" Firo spat out in rapid-fire, all at once. Her eye twitched. She'd said it, _all_ of it. Why wasn't Dimitri saying anything?

"Oh." That was it?

"'Oh'?" Firo asked timidly.

"It makes this easier." Firo found herself lifted into the air by the Russian's arms. "I love you too, Firo." The Faunus girl had to fight back the urge to squeal in glee, it was after one in the morning, after all. Firo threw her arms around the Russian's neck, and the two stood smiling at each other silently.

"Thank you, Dimitri..." Firo's heart was aflutter.

"No, thank you, Albi."

"Albi?" Firo cocked her head at him.

"Your first name." Oh, it was shortened from "Albiona". "Do you not like it?"

"I don't like my first name all that much..." Firo said. "But if it's you...I think I'm okay with it...Only you get to say it though!" Dimitri pulled her into another embrace.

"I think I can live with that."

* * *

 **A/N: After so long of it being up in the air, the pairings are here! I have no idea whether those last parts are good, I have NEVER written anything resembling romance before.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Thanks to Stevealio, Arukune, and the countless others who have left reviews prior to sticking with this story. We've entered the final stretch, hope you'll stay on the rest of the way.**


	46. Chapter 45

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 45

Erwin and Zephyr looked towards the door of the mess hall as Roman walked in. The fox Faunus immediately noticed that the thief's mute companion was absent.

"Morning, Roman." Erwin greeted.

"Erwin. Zeph." the man replied. "Neo's not with you?"

"We haven't seen her today." Zephyr spoke up. "Why, what's wrong?"

"She wasn't waiting for me when I came back late last night. She's never done that before. The job ran longer than planned, though, so I assumed she just turned in. I thought I would see her here with the two of you this morning..."

"Maybe she's feeling sick? Or she slept in after trying to wait for you?" Erwin suggested.

"It's possible..." Roman rubbed his chin. "Care to accompany me to check on her?"

"Sure." Erwin stood up.

"It's better than just sitting around." Zephyr added as she followed suit. The trio exited the mess hall door into the relatively quiet hallways of the hideout. A majority of the Order's forces were on various deployments gathering Void Dust or searching for the temple. Aside from the handful of guards and Shades patrolling the base's perimeter, the facility was mostly empty.

Erwin followed the orange-haired thief through the corridors, Zephyr tagging along behind them both. Roman stopped at a door and knocked with the back of his knuckles. The three waited silently for several moments. Nothing.

"Neo?" Roman knocked again. "Are you in there?" Still no response. Erwin stepped forward and tried the door handle.

"...It's unlocked." The trio pushed into the mute girl's room. Neo took care of her own appearance, but she certainly wasn't the tidiest person in existence when it came to her room. She had a tendency to just flop onto her bed and toss her clothing in a pile. Though, Erwin reminded himself, she did spend a lot of time tiring herself out, so maybe her laziness in this regard was justified.

The room itself matched its owner quite well. Everything was mixes of pink, white, and light browns. A small freezer had been placed in the corner of the room, at the foot of Neo's bed. Erwin noticed an old photograph contained in a simple frame, the sole object on a small desk. The center of the picture was of a clearly younger Roman and a young man with multicolored hair. Two other people, one woman, and another young man stood behind them. What caught Erwin's eye, however, was the little girl clinging to the multicolored man's leg.

"Is that Neo?" the fox Faunus asked. Roman walked to his side, casting a glance at the photograph.

"Yeah...back when I went school with her brother. Neo was always stapled to him."

"You were training to become a huntsman?"

"A long time ago...fifteen years or so. That picture was during my last year at the academy, so Neo would have only been seven at the time." Roman took a final look around the room. "It looks like she never even came back here. Let's keep looking elsewhere." The thief led the other two out of Neo's room, closing the door behind them. He walked back up the hall, Erwin broke into a light jog to catch up to him.

"Roman, what happened? Why'd you leave?"

"We got too cocky. Our team had breezed through the academy for the most part, mostly thanks to Neo's brother. We took on a mission that ended up being too hard...and they died. Before he died...her brother asked me to take care of her. One thing led to another...and here we are. Now, less chatting, more searching, alright?"

"Yeah." Erwin nodded. It suddenly struck him how lucky he was to have met the people he did. Roman may have had problems with the White Fang, but he still had ended up showing a more caring side to the Faunus boy. Neo may not have uttered a single word, but her actions proved that she was a good friend to the people she trusted. Zephyr, the most unusual of the people he had come to consider as a friend, had been nothing but kind to him. The least he could do is return their kindness. "We'll find her. Don't worry, Roman."

"Thanks, Erwin."

The two of them whipped around as Zephyr let out a loud "eep!" and tripped onto her back. As she hit the floor, Erwin caught sight of a small, round, black sphere skittering across the ground. He acted quickly and grabbed the small object. Roman helped Zephyr stand.

"Sorry, I tripped on something..."

"I think it was this." Erwin held out the sphere for them both to see. Roman snatched the item from Erwin's palm.

"This is a piece of Neo's necklace." Roman looked around the corridor. "There's another one over there." The trio began to follow the thief as he traced the trail of small spheres. The path came to an abrupt stop in front of a door several halls from where they started. "Is this it? This room's supposed to be empty."

A loud crash sounded from the other side of the door, signaling that it was not currently unoccupied as it should be. Roman quickly pulled the handle of the door, only to find it locked.

"Zeph! I need you to blast this thing open!"

"R-right!" Zephyr brought her right arm back behind her head, her palm angled at the door. She pushed forward and unleashed a blast of air. The door shuddered and gave way under the assault, crashing open while hanging off from one of its hinges. Roman immediately rushed into the room.

* * *

The trio was greeted with a heartbreaking sight. Neo was laying on her side of the floor, her arms tied to a simple metal chair. Erwin realized that she must have knocked herself over to get their attention when she'd heard them outside. Her body was covered in open wounds, deep gashes placed at precise intervals.

"Neo!" Roman was at her side instantly, and began to undo the girl's binds. Upon being freed, she buried herself in Roman's chest and began to shake. Erwin noticed more injuries on her back. Long, crossing slashes had been cut into her skin through her jacket and shirt, leaving the garment in tatters. "Who did this!?" Roman demanded to no one in particular.

"That'd be me." Erwin felt his blood run cold at the voice. Chaos stood behind all of them in the doorway. "I think I'll have to ask you all to leave, though. It was just getting fun." Neo buried herself further into Roman, keeping one eye on Chaos as if she were scared that he would vanish if she looked away.

"What is wrong with you!?" Zephyr yelled. "When Lord Vortex hears about thi-" A backhanded slap sent the Acolyte to the ground. Erwin tensed, only to find a blade of shadow angled at his neck. Three other sharpened fragments of darkness were aimed towards Roman, Neo, and Zephyr.

"You should mind your tone around your superiors, Acolyte. You might offend someone. As for the old man...Well, he won't be hearing about this, because none of you will be leaving this room." Chaos said cheerfully. "On the bright side, you get to spend time with me instead of that aging fossil. Now, your lovely thief friend here gave me the basic idea of what the old man's plan was...with some coaxing, as you can see." Neo shuddered.

"Don't say anything." Roman commanded. "Neo _can't_ speak. He can't have gotten anything out of her."

"That's where you'd be wrong." Chaos laughed. "She can't talk, sure...but she _can_ write." The Lord held up a slip of paper that was dotted with drops of blood. "She has really nice handwriting, even with the broken wrist."

"You psychotic son of a-" Erwin felt the shadowy blade stab into his right shoulder and twist. His arm popped from its socket, and hung limply as the Faunus yelped loudly in pain and fell onto the floor.

"Erwin!" Zephyr tried to rise to her feet, only for Chaos to remind her of the blade centered on her. The sharpened shadow pressed itself against her neck, drawing small beads of red. "Leave him alone!"

"Oh, I wouldn't _imagine_ killing Vortex's little pet. As long as he doesn't die, no harm done." Erwin glared at the grinning Bloodline. "Ooh, don't stare to hard, I might get stage fright." Chaos laughed mirthfully. "Now, what do you all think we should do fir-"

A blast of wind knocked Zephyr, Roman and Neo onto their backs. Chaos was sent flying into the far wall, leaving a sizable dent in the metal. The Lord plopped onto the floor face-first. The five occupants looked at the sixth arrival: a furious looking Vortex.

"Erwin."

"Y-yes, my Lord?"

"Take your friends and leave. I will have words with Chaos."

"Lord Vort-"

" _Now,_ Erwin." Zephyr helped the Faunus boy to his feet while Roman quickly picked Neo up in his arms. The four scrambled out of the room hurriedly.

* * *

"Ouch. What the hell is your prob-" Chaos started, only to be thrown against the wall again.

"It seems that you must be reminded of your place."

"We're the same rank! And when were you going to share the whole 'wish-granting temple' thing?" Vortex's expression remained unreadable, but Chaos could feel the raw, murderous intent emanating from the older man.

"I was hoping to keep you unaware. No matter. For your actions against our aliies, I will remove your existence from the Order." Vortex drew his sword and angled it at the younger Lord.

"Wow, really? You know you can't possibly win without my help, right?"

"A victory alongside a monster such as yourself would be no victory at all."

"What's your deal? You killed plenty of EDC mooks back on Earth, what's the difference if I carve up one girl? You got a thing for these kids or somethi-" Chaos was thrown yet again, and had to use his ability to teleport himself out of the way of a swing of Vortex's blade.

"You are not worthy to be part of the army that Lord Esprit built to bring Auras freedom."

"Fine. Have it your way." Chaos knew he couldn't win in a one-on-one engagement with the older Lord. Despite his own immense power, Vortex had the upper hand in both skill and experience, and Chaos' illusions only worked on the unaware... The older man rushed forward with his blade at the ready. He swung...and hit empty air. Chaos had warped away again. Vortex scanned the room and grit his teeth in anger. His opponent had chosen the coward's path and escaped.

* * *

Chaos leaned against the trunk of a towering tree. He hadn't had the time to calculate an exact location to warp to, instead just letting his power take him somewhere at random. A seething fury settled itself in his gut. He'd just been ousted from the Order. Vortex would no doubt quickly alert the other soldiers to Chaos' new status as a hostile target. The younger Lord was none too interested in fighting more than he could handle. Then came an additional problem. His random warp had placed him in the middle of nowhere, and any additional use of the power would just drain him.

A silver lining suddenly struck him. If he no longer was answering to Vortex...then Chaos was free to do as he wished now. The young Lord laughed loudly into the air. Even if it hadn't been his intent, Vortex had given him exactly what he wanted. He took out the slip of paper with the information he had extracted from the girl with multicolored hair. It was time to plan his revenge.

Vortex fumed in silence. He'd been careless, and now Chaos was on the loose. He'd told Erwin to move Neo into the medbay, where Zephyr was currently in the process of using her healing ability to seal the group's injuries. Vortex noted the sound of a warping ability, which meant it was not Chaos, since the younger Lord's was almost silent.

"My Lord." An Order scout bowed to him.

"What is it? My patience has been tried enough today."

"My Lord...we- we found it. We found the temple."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I'm sure enough people saw some of this coming.** **Also, two Order chapters in a row. Sorry about that.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Stevealio: I figured that would make some people happy.**

 **Waterlord369: Glad to hear that more people are enjoying my work!**


	47. Chapter 46

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 46

Alex stirred from his awkward sleeping position. He squinted and lifted his head off the table he had fallen asleep on. He'd been going over maps over and over, trying to find more likely spots for the Order base. They'd narrowed their search area considerably, but there was still several hundred square miles the EDC had yet to search. Alex didn't even want to think about the fact that they might have missed the base in a location they'd already checked.

The soldier reached up to rub his right cheek, which had been marked with an imprint of his forearm. He suddenly noticed that a blanket had been draped over him.

 _Huh. I wonder who-_ Alex's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of tumbling, and a small yelp.

"Yang! Air!" The Major heard Ryland's muffled voice through his room's door.

"...You're so warm though..." came the equally muffled reply of the blonde student.

 _..._ _I'm not even going to ask._ Alex shook his head. He got up from the chair he had rested in and stretched. The maps remained on the table, seemingly taunting him. _I'll deal with you later._

Alex looked around the Albatross. It was quiet. No noise from the environment permeated the metal hull of the aircraft. What time was it, anyway? The soldier checked his scroll. Nine in the morning. A small blip in the corner of the device informed him of a pending message. A quick click revealed a short written memo from Barnes.

 _Just checking in to let you know our progress. I set up Miss Fall with a small work center aboard the Corvette, and she's been quite helpful in zeroing in on the temple. We've narrowed it down to a few dozen locations. I wish you luck on your end. ~Barnes_

Alex nodded to himself, sitting back down in the chair. Time to keep looking.

* * *

Blake yawned and exited her room, closing the door behind her. Alex seemed to already be hard at work, and she could hear the sounds of Ryland attempting to extricate himself from Yang's crushing grasp. As Blake had the...fortune...to be the blonde's roommate, she knew Yang had a habit to grab hold of the nearest object or person while she slept.

Something caught her attention. In the corner of her eye, Blake saw something that made her smile. Two chairs had been pulled close to each other, where Firo was resting her head on Dimitri's shoulder. The woman's single rabbit ear twitched happily. The Russian snored softly. Blake felt a light and cheerful sensation fill her chest. Seeing Human and Faunus so close made her happy.

After a short while, the rest of the EDC awoke, and the twin Albatrosses took off into the air towards their next destination. Blake had gotten herself some food and a cup of tea, then settled in for the long ride. Dimitri and Firo had both awoken, and were sticking close together. Blake had shared a few short words with them, but not any more than that. The pair seemed to be absorbed in each other, but watching them had kept a wide smile on the girl's face.

"You seem in a pleasant mood this morning."...And there went the smile.

"Good morning, Adam." Blake's eyes narrowed at the man.

"Blake...about before...look...you were right. The White Fang turned into something that I shouldn't have been a part of...and-"

"Who did you talk to?" The girl cut him off.

"What?"

"The Adam I knew would never just admit his mistakes. So who knocked some sense into you?"

"...Mr. Averin."

"...Of course." Blake sighed. "What changed? You hated Humans."

"Mr. Av- Dimitri pulled me aside...told me about the war from his home...and it made me realize something. The White Fang...we became like their Order..." Adam shifted uneasily, his brand-new prosthetics clicking lightly. "I...don't want to be a monster anymore." Blake stared at his face. Adam had abandoned the Grimm mask used by the White Fang to inspire fear. She could clearly see his dark eyes.

"Simply changing sides doesn't make up for what you've done."

"I know. My actions will speak for me...and maybe others will follow...show Humans that we can be their friends instead of their-" Adam suddenly stopped.

"Adam?" Blake cocked her head at his abrupt silence.

"That's what the Guardians were doing..." Adam brought his metal palm to his face. "I'm such an idiot. It's such a simple solution. Be an ally, not an enemy."

"Well, if you can see it, then maybe others' might be able to as well." Blake rose from her seat and extended a hand. "I can't forgive you...not now, after so many dead...but, if you really try to make amends-" Adam cut her off by readily shaking her hand.

"Thank you, Blake."

* * *

Once they arrived at their search area for the day, the EDC was surprised to find an actual base for once. Usually, their investigation yielded nothing more than Grimm-infested caves. After blowing through the door with explosives, they began the arduous task of clearing the facility.

"It seems like no one's been here for a while." Winter commented at the dust-covered walls.

"My guess is it's some sort of safehouse." Charles replied. Weiss kept pace with her sister, slightly behind the Bloodline. "It certainly appears empty, though." Charles pushed into a side room marked as "data". Perhaps something useful would be in here.

Once inside, Weiss quickly spotted a terminal that was still powered. The dust in this room had been disturbed recently, but only in one isolated spot. Charles looked around for a short while, then gave Weiss the signal to investigate the terminal.

The younger Schnee sat herself in a rather dirty chair and began trying to access the computer. Had she been in this situation a few months ago, Weiss knew she'd have been complaining left and right. Now, though, she felt that she'd toughened up a bit after spending time with Charles and the EDC. An alert popped up on the console screen.

"Its asking for a password." Weiss reported. "Though based on what I can see so far, I believe that it's safe to assume this base was some sort of fall-back location for Roman Torchwick."

"How could you possibly kn-oh." Winter stopped as Weiss pointed to the screen, where the thief's name was listed as the administrator username for the system.

"He's certainly not the most creative when it comes to naming, is he?" Charles commented. "I suppose we could open this thing up, then take any data storage unit it has. Ryland could take a crack at it back on the Albatross."

"Sounds good to me." Winter nodded. The trio began a tedious process of prying open the machine without the aid of a screwdriver, eventually tearing the side off the computer.

"Got it." Weiss announced, pulling a small, black box from the terminal. She suddenly began to giggle, seeing Charles and Winter both covered in clumps of dust. Upon realizing what the youngest member of their trio was laughing at, Charles and Winter couldn't help but chuckle as well. Charles dusted himself off, then brushed off both the girls as well.

"Shall we head back, then?" He asked. "Our leg of the job's done."

"I believe that was the plan." Weiss nodded. The three of them exited the room, back into the dusty hallways. Winter suddenly found herself staring at Charles' back, a heavy feeling in her heart. They were coming close to the end, but Winter had been struck with unease at the impending finale. This feeling had settled itself in her chest every time they cleared a base together. It felt like her and Weiss' time with the man was ticking away. Well, Charles always said to just ask, so...

"Mr. Blackwill..." She started. Her solemn tone caused Charles and Weiss to both stop in their tracks. "I've been...wanting to ask you something."

"Of course, Winter. Go ahead." Charles nodded kindly.

"After this is over...what will you do?"

"Lunch?" The man cocked his head. Weiss burst out laughing, but Winter remained silent, a saddened expression pasted on her face. The younger sister shut her mouth upon seeing the downtrodden looks on Charles' and Winter's faces.

"No, I mean... _all_ of this. Will you leave?"

"Winter, what's wrong? What brought this on?"

"I'm...scared...I don't want our time with you to end...but, I can't convince myself that you'd stay..."

"Winter..."

"You've been a real parent to both Weiss and myself for the last several months...and I thank you for that...but after having something like that...it's hard to let g-" She stopped as Charles put both hands on her shoulders.

"Winter. Where do you think I'm going?"

"Huh?" This had not been the response she'd expected. "What about your own children? Aren't you going to try and go back?"

"My mother always used to say that you should stay where you do the most good." He paused. "Jerloh and Alyia grew up on their own. There's not much I can do for them anymore. If I stay here, then at least I have two new kids I can help take care of." Winter rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the man. Weiss thought about it for a second, then joined her sister in hugging Charles. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

 **Later...**

"Hey, Ry. Whatcha working on?" Yang asked, draping her arm over him from behind.

"Hi, Yang." He replied. "Just something Charles and the Schnees brought in. I'm trying to crack it open." He gestured to the small black box, which sat adamantly on the table. Wires ran from the device into Ryland's scroll. "This'd just be easier with a password thou-"

His train of thought was interrupted as the door of the Albatross slid open. Arthur, Emerald, Anika, Mac, and Vio stepped into the craft. Their group quickly dispersed, but Emerald and Arthur walked over to Ryland and Yang.

"Arthur." Ryland greeted.

"Ryland. Yang." Arthur nodded in return. "Find something?"

"Charles' team brought up a data storage device, it's password locked, so-"

"Try 'Neapolitan'." Emerald spoke up. The other three stared at her. "It's the name of his partner."

"Wouldn't hurt to try, I guess." Ryland typed in the name, then pressed to confirm. The screen remained still for a moment. Suddenly, a message box popped into existence.

 _Welcome back, Mr. Torchwick._

"Holy crap." Ryland muttered. "Good call, Em."

"You're welcome. But, just so you know, only Arthur gets to call me 'Em'."

"It's either that or 'Mint'. Take your pick."

"Hey, how come you haven't given me or Arthur a nickname?" Yang cut in as Emerald's left eye twitched.

"I've been trying to come up with one since we met, but I haven't come up with anything good yet. And I'm pretty sure Arthur would seriously consider killing me if I ran around calling him 'Lightbulb' all the time." Emerald and Yang both burst out laughing at Ryland's name for the Guardian, who's face reddened slightly.

* * *

As Ryland began to dig through the hard drive, Emerald and Arthur wandered off. The latter's cheeks and ears where still burning.

"You have to admit, it's not the worst name he could have come up with." Emerald commented.

"I suppose that's true." Arthur nodded and sighed. "In my experience with him, Ryland puts the most thought into nicknames for the people he trusts, so perhaps I should think of it as a good thing."

"You're forever the optimist, I see."

"I just choose to try and see the best in the people around me."

"Even Chaos?"

"The only 'good' thing about him is that he _might_ kill you quickly."

"Ouch." Emerald winced. "What about me?"

"You put on a tough act, but you're actually not all that bad."

"Hey! I'm plenty tough, _Lightbulb._ "

* * *

With help of the a soldier with a teleporting ability, Vortex arrived in front of a massive stone structure. The pyramid-like temple was truly a sight to behold. Colorful Dust had been inlaid into the rocks, shimmering in the sunlight. He admired the dark, carved stone that made up the building. He could feel powerful energies floating in the air.

"Welcome, my Lord." A Knight bowed to Vortex. Now that the temple had been found, the Lord had assembled a majority of his forces at the structure. He had left Erwin, Zephyr, and the two thieves at the base, along with a defensive contingent of Shades. Hopefully, Chaos was not privy to the fact that the hideout was now mostly empty.

"Report."

"Of course, My Lord." The Knight cleared his throat. "We have been working on transporting the Void Dust and are unloading it as it arrives. We are condensing it into a single storage device, approximately the size of a large suitcase."

"Hopefully we have enough to power the temple. How are defenses coming along? And what of the structure itself?"

"I have a workforce setting up anti-air and anti-infantry precautions. The thieves Torchwick provided assisted us in gathering a handful of military-grade weapons. As for the temple itself, we have found a door, but it remains sealed. Not even our most powerful explosives or Auras could breach it."

"I see. I will look into the door. Continue as you were."

"Yes, my Lord."

* * *

 **A/N: Not super happy with how this one turned out. But, you win some, you lose some.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Thanks to Arukune and Derox-1223 for leaving reviews for the last chapter!**


	48. Chapter 47

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 47

Alex jolted awake, causing the blanket that had been draped over him again to go flying. What on Earth was Ryland yelling about? The Major rubbed his eyes and got out of the chair he'd fallen asleep in once again. He walked over to where the excited shouting was coming from.

"Ryland? What're you doing?"

"I did it! I think I found the Order base! That drive Charles brought back did the trick!" Alex took a moment to comprehend the younger soldier's words. Suddenly, the statement clicked, and the Major's fatigue and grogginess evaporated.

"Wait, you're sure?"

"Yeah. It's the only location large enough for the order to set up shop."

"Good work, Ryland!"

"Well, I can't take all the credit...maybe like seventy percent..." The orange-haired soldier shrugged.

"Wake our pilot and give them the coordinates, I'll start getting the others up."

"On it, Bossman." Ryland sprinted up towards the cockpit.

* * *

The total of their forces had assembled inside the command Albatross. The students still looked a little tired for being woken up at five in the morning, but they'd be fine in a bit.

Alex laid out the plan. The Order base was a facility built into the side of a small hill in the middle of the forests surrounding Vale. Thankfully, it was only a single level according to the data Ryland had dug up, so they wouldn't have to worry about elevators or stairs like at the White Fang base. Alex had also informed General Ironwood of their discovery, and the Atlesian forces would meet them there to help them secure and clear the base.

When they arrived, the EDC would unleash the Talon drones housed on the other Albatross. Once the perimeter was secure, they'd use the single tank in storage to break down the door. The Talons would then move in and clear out any Shades. The Humans and Faunus would follow the drones in shortly afterward, and would be responsible for combating any Auras still in the base. Of course, caution was advised, because they could not be sure whether or not either or both of the enemy's Bloodlines would be there.

"Everything clear?" Alex asked. The room was filled with affirming nods. Alex turned to his friend in the red cloak. "Ruby, remember that if we tell you to run and fall back-"

"I absolutely don't listen to you?" She smiled. Despite the obvious frustration at her answer, Alex sighed and returned her grin. Ozpin was right, there was no stopping these girls.

"At least dive for cover, please."

" _That_ , we can do."

"Good enough. Everyone go suit up." The many occupants of the craft moved for their rooms to gather their equipment. Luna threw a glance over her shoulder as she left. She looked like she wished to say something, but decided against it. Ruby remained behind in the main area, with her head cocked questioningly at Alex. "What?"

"That's not the response I really expected out of you. I had Weiss help me come up with a persuasive speech and everything."

"Sorry to ruin your prep, Ruby."

"Not a problem, but why _didn't_ you freak out and go off about not putting us in danger because we're kids?"

"Because, Ruby, you four have already proven that you're more mature than people give you credit for. Clearly, Ozpin saw it before I did, which is why he let you follow us. You may be students, yes, but you're also fighters. And I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have watching my back."

"Thanks, Alex. It's nice to be taken seriously."

"I'm still going to treat you like a kid until you really are an adult, though." He ruffled the girl's hair.

"Hey!"

* * *

The Albatrosses arrived, and the EDC's plan began without delay. The sun had just risen over the peak of a range of mountains in the distance, throwing light over the landscape at a harsh angle. Aside from the loss of two Talons, the first stage of the plan was pulled off without any problems. The heavy tank their forces had barely made use of shook the ground nearby as its engine roared to life.

"You good in there, Ryland?" Alex asked over the radio.

"Yeah, it's not an interface I'm incredibly used to, but I got it." came the reply from inside the vehicle. Alex had placed Ryland in charge of the tank, along with Carbon and Yang. Once the door was open, the three of them would hold the entrance with the machine in case they needed to retreat. "Alright, let's get this thing into position." The tank lurched forward so that it was within range of the base door, then rotated its cannon at the metal entrance. "Knock, knock." A cannon barrel compressed as it fired a single ninety-millimeter Polymetal projectile at the door. The steel was no match, and the entryway screeched as the facility's hatch was pushed inward. "Hey, Bossman, can I keep this thing?"

"Considering you're the only one left qualified to drive it?"

"Awesome. Good luck on your end." Alex lifted his rifle up to his shoulder and signaled the others to move forward. Upon entering the base, their forces would split into two groups. Charles was accompanying on team, while Arthur was with the other. This acted as a precaution in case there was a Bloodline inside.

Alex stepped over the twisted metal that had been the entryway. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure his group was following him. The two White Fang where part of his group, and Alex slowed to speak with Adam.

"Hey, just hang back if your prosthetics start acting up."

"Thank you for the concern, but I believe it is unwarranted. Your engineer friend does incredible work."

"Ryland's good at what he does." Alex bobbed his head in agreement.. "Though, don't forget to thank him, or he might leave parts out on purpose."

"I did overcome my own hubris and passed on my gratitude...I also apologized for some rather...abrasive words I said concerning Humans."

"I think you're in the clear, then."

"Good. Thank you." Adam gave Alex an appreciative nod. The bull Faunus moved to the front of their formation, being a melee fighter like Arthur and Emerald. Alex moved into position in the second row, alongside Vio and Luna. Anika and Ruby were guarding their backs. As they moved into the base, Alex became aware of the uncomfortable silence that hung between himself and the two women beside him. After Luna had talked to him a few days ago and he'd had to leave mind-conversation, it felt like she'd been avoiding him. The blue-haired woman wouldn't meet his eyes, and had yet to talk to him beyond basic greetings. Alex had barely spoken to Vio since they'd rescued her and Adam from the White Fang base. The Faunus wasn't exactly talkative, but she was a good soldier. That was about all Alex even knew about her.

The sounds of gunfire up ahead of their group alerted them to an engagement between Shades and the Talons. The second generation combat drones had been designed to specifically combat the smaller Shades, and the halls were too cramped to deploy anything the bots couldn't handle. A single Talon came jogging around the corner, grinding to a halt in front of their group and gave a salute. Why _that_ was something they had been programmed for, Alex couldn't say.

"Major Greene. Sensors have detected heat signatures. Four in total. Scans suggest the rest of the base is clear of life forms." It reported flatly.

"Alright, lead the way."

"Command confirmed." The Talon nodded and walked back the way it had come. The sharpened blades on its feet clicked menacingly on the metal floor. It stopped in front of a set of double doors. "Contacts are in this location. Requesting orders on how to proceed."

"If these four really are the only ones left in the base, we don't want to kill any of them. Nonlethal only."

"Parameters accepted. Switching to pacification mode." The drone swapped the ammunition in its weapon for rubber bullets as opposed to the Polymetal rounds. It would take more shots to get through the aura of someone from Remnant, but that wasn't they were expecting to go up against. "Preparing to breach entrance."

"Wait," Ruby raised her hand slightly, "'breach'? Why?"

"The contacts have employed the use of a makeshift obstruction. The mechanism for which to open the pathway is in non-operable condition." the drone replied.

"They barricaded the door." Alex translated. Ruby nodded her understanding. The Talon waited for Alex and the others to get into favorable positions. It lifted its leg and kicked the doors with immense force. The steel bent inward at the first kick, the doors widening with each successive strike.

"Here's Johnny." The Talon said flatly. Crap, Ryland had been fiddling with this one, hadn't he? A gust of wind threw the drone into the opposite wall, where it fell to the ground and stopped moving. As much as Alex was concerned about the hostile action that had destroyed the bot, he also felt slightly relieved that it wouldn't suddenly spew more ancient movie quotes.

"G-go away!" A female voice yelled from inside.

"We have you outnumbered!" Alex yelled back, not entering the room. "If you surrender-"

"What, so you can shoot us all in our heads? No thanks."

"There's no point, Greene." Vio said, "Just give us the word, and we'll-"

"Vio?" A new voice, a male, from inside the room called out. "Vio, is that you?"

"Erwin?" The Faunus woman was shocked. Her friend was alive!

"Hold on, Vio. Zephyr, it's okay, she's a friend."

"She's with the EDC! If we leave, they'll just kill all of us!" The girl inside the room, Zephyr, shrieked. Judging by the name, she was part of the Order.

"Miss," Alex spoke up, "I'm not sure what you've seen or been told about the EDC, but I assure you that we won't kill you or your friends."

"No! I- We-"

"Zeph, let an adult do the negotiating, please." A third voice started talking, another male, who sounded older and eerily familiar. Apparently Emerald recognized the speaker as well.

"Hi, Roman!" She called.

"Oh great. Look, Minty-fresh, if Cinder is out there too-"

"She's not."

"Nevermind then. Anyway, considering it sounds like you brought the whole Atlesian army with you-"

"I think it's only one battalion." Ruby said aloud.

"Oh goody, and Red's here too. Point is, you've clearly got the four of us outnumbered. So if you can guarantee our safety, I think we can come to an agreement."

"That's fine." Alex replied. "Everyone, weapons down, but on standby." he turned back to the door. "Will that do?"

"It's better than nothing. We're coming out." The sound of the barricade being cleared away could be heard, and the doors swung open. Torchwick walked out first, a girl with multicolored hair right behind him. A Faunus boy with Fox ears came out afterward, coaxing a very nervous looking orange-haired girl in Order armor into the hallway. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I still don't trust you." Zephyr glared at him.

"I assure you the feeling is mutual. This is going to be a simple process. We're going to hand the four of you over to Ironwood to detain for now, but we'll make sure you're treated well. AS long as you don't cause the General any trouble-"

"She won't!" The fox Faunus said loudly. "Right, Zephyr?"

"Erwin, what are you doing?" the Order solider asked harshly. He whispered into her ear.

"You've been keeping an eye out for me all this time, let me do the same for once."

"Alright. Fine. I surrender."

* * *

Well, the next series of events had not been what Zephyr had expected. She'd been quickly relieved of her weapons, replaced her armor with spare clothing, handed over to the Atlesian forces for detainment, and been placed in a room instead of a cell. She wasn't handcuffed or...anything really. Of course, it might be because of the Remnant natives' confidence they could subdue her if it came to blows. The one time Zephyr had gotten bored and sparred with Erwin, he'd proven that the people of this world were far tougher than they appeared.

As if on cue, the fox-eared boy entered the room...with company. A red-haired man with bull horns and a woman with vibrant purple hair and wolf ears poking out of the top of her head. Zephyr had seen both of them back inside the base.

"Hi, Zephyr...this is Adam and Vio. They were both members of the White Fang like me."

"Hello." she greeted. The people of Remnant were essentially Auras, so she had no qualms talking to them.

"Hello." Vio said, "I just wanted to thank you for looking after Erwin. He told us what happened while he was..." The Faunus woman stopped, trying to find a word other than "captured" or "imprisoned". Zephyr seemed to notice.

"I-it was nothing."

"I'd like to thank you for watching his back as well." Adam spoke up. "But, I also would like to extend an offer."

"An...offer?"

"I spoke with Major Greene and Mr. Averin, who cleared it with their superior. After all of this, Erwin, Vio, and myself plan on trying to change how the world views the Faunus. Erwin vouched for your character, and the EDC has agreed to give you a full pardon if you come with us."

"But, won't the Atlesians-"

"We've already dealt with them. The three of us are cleared to go."

"Erwin," Zephyr turned to the boy, "What about Roman and Neo?"

"I don't know whether or not we can even offer for the two of them to come with us. They haven't even been let out of questioning yet."

"I see...I'll think about your offer, Adam." She paused. "May I...talk to Erwin in private?"

"Of course." Adam nodded, motioning for Vio to follow him out of the room. They left Zephyr and the boy alone.

"Zeph-" Erwin was stopped mid-sentence as the girl hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Erwin."

"For what?"

"For being my friend. For going out of your way to give me a second chance at no benefit to yourself."

"Well, I couldn't just leave you to get locked up."

"You're the best."

"Thanks." Erwin awkwardly returned the girl's embrace. "So...the EDC...doesn't seem too bad, right?"

"They're not what I expected." She sighed and leaned into the Faunus boy. "What do I do, Erwin? I don't know what to believe anymore."

"I don't know either, Zeph."

"Mr. Greene." Ironwood's voice jolted Alex out of his well-deserved nap. "I apologize...but there is something that demands out attention."

"What is it?" Alex yawned into his hand.

"Ozpin contacted me. He's been trying to set up a meeting with the Vale council since we left asking them to lend their aid to our fight against the Order. They just now approved the meeting, and Ozpin wants us to give our accounts from the field. I put him in contact with Barnes, and he'll be giving a testimony over a transmission."

"I see..." Alex muttered. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with politicians. "When is this meeting?"

"In thirty-six hours."

 _Son of a-_

* * *

 **A/N: This turned out far better than last chapter.** **Also, you get a super early chapter upload today,** **because I won't have time later!**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

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	49. Chapter 48

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 48

Alex adjusted his armor, making sure it would be considered presentable to the council. He wasn't looking forward to this. He doubted that they would really listen to anything he or the others had to say. Still, he had to at least attempt to make the politicians take him seriously. Which was why he had retreated to the restroom to make sure everything appeared in order.

"Are you ready?" Ironwood's voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, how long until they let us in?"

"A few minutes at most."

"Alright." Alex pushed his way out of the restroom. "Let's-"

"Alex!" the Major felt a small body throw itself against his side.

"Morning, Ruby." He patted the girl's head. Alex looked up to see Luna standing a short distance away. She was still avoiding his gaze. He had still yet to talk to her. "What are both of you doing here?"

"All of us came down to wish you good luck!"

"...'All'?"

"Yup. Professor Ozpin convinced the council to let everyone who traveled with you sit in on the meeting. So we'll be there to quietly cheer you on."

"Thanks, Ruby." Alex smiled. "And you too, Luna."

"...You're welcome..." the blue-haired girl gave a quiet reply. It wasn't hostile, just...nervous? Alex couldn't put his finger on the tone.

"It's time." Ironwood said.

"Yeah..." Alex took a deep breath. "Let's get this done."

* * *

The General and soldier stepped into an amphitheater-like room. The members of the Vale council sat directly above them, seven members in total. Alex saw his team and friends sitting off to his right as he entered. On the left sat several figures in uniform, who he assumed were representatives of the Atlas military.

"Welcome, General Ironwood and Mr. Greene." the center member of the council stood from their seat, an elderly looking woman. "I am Councilor Gray."

"A pleasure to meet you." Alex replied sharply. "Alex Greene, representing the Earth Defense Coalition."

"Yes, yes. We know your title." A sneering voice said from Gray's right. Alex narrowed his gaze at the man who had spoken, Argent, the representative who had been sent to Beacon several months before to view his helmet cam footage.

 _Not this bastard again._ Alex thought exasperatedly, though he held his tongue.

"Councilor Argent," Gray glared daggers at her fellow politician. "Mr. Greene was observing proper etiquette, something you often decline to do. Please refrain from needlessly opening your mouth." Alex decided he liked Gray as far as politicians went. She carried a grandmotherly air and appearance, but she clearly still had fight in her.

"Of course." Argent hissed. "I simply wish for us to proceed as quickly as possible."

"Agreed," a younger female councilor nodded, "we should get this process underway."

 _It's certainly not getting started that Argent's talking about..._ Alex thought to himself. How a man as heartless as Argent managed to gain a seat on the Vale council, he really could not say.

"Very well," Gray said loudly, "General Ironwood, you may speak first."

The Atlesian cleared his throat. Ironwood recounted the events of the last several months, starting from the breach and working up to the destruction of the Order base. Councilor Gray listened to the tale with rapt attention, but her fellow politicians seemed less inclined.

"I see..." Gray nodded as Ironwood signaled he was finished. "It is indeed quite the story. If not for the proof of Mr. Greene's origins, one would find it hard to believe. Speaking of which..." She turned to look down at the Major. "Mr. Greene, you other representative, Mr. Barnes informed us that he would be unable to join us after all. He left an apology, but assured us that you would be able to represent your organization in his stead."

"I-" Alex's eye twitched. _Dammit, General._ "I can do my best."

"He left you a message as well. He said that he hoped you brought your helmet." Alex realized what Barnes wanted him to do. The Major cast a worried look towards Ruby and the other students in the seats.

"I believe that my superior intended for me to share the footage recorded on my helmet. If it is alright, I will retrieve-"

"We've already seen this footage." Argent snarled. "Do not waste our time with-"

"Argent." Gray glared the man into silence again, then turned back to Alex. "Only he has seen the footage. He reported that it showed nothing that would be of concern to Vale."

"If I may," Alex was careful in choosing his words, "I believe that Councilor Argent's analysis of the footage may be in error. While the magnitude of the threat to Vale and Remnant is not as great as it is in my home, it is still something that I feel you should be informed and concerned about."

"This is ridiculous!" Argent yelled. "His planet's war has nothing to do with Remnant. It's not a threat to us, what could possibly-"

"Argent. Shut your fool mouth." another councilor snapped. This one was an older looking man with short red hair and a mustache. "Did you forget that a grudge match between only two of his world's Auras leveled over two dozen buildings? Or the fact that this 'Order' broke Torchwick and six dozen inmates out of a maximum security prison?"

"To be fair..." Alex flinched as Charles spoke up from the stands. "I apologize for playing a part in the destruction of the buildings."

"You- who-" Argent sputtered. The councilors all eyed the man warily. Weiss and Winter were both gaping at their friend's audacity.

"Charles Blackwill, at your service. Just going to offer my advice to the council. To get a better understanding of what you're up against, you should watch the footage. I trust you all understand everything about the Auras of our world, yes?"

"Yes," The red-haired councilor nodded, "We were brought up to speed on your Bloodlines and Order in-" He stopped as the council chamber's doors swung open. Ozpin came casually strolling into the room, coffee mug in one hand, cane in the other, and Alex's helmet tucked under his arm.

"My apologies for the late arrival. I was contacted by General Barnes of the EDC, who asked me to make sure this was delivered to the meeting." Ozpin gestured to the armor piece. "It took me a while to retrieve it."

"Ozpin." Gray nodded towards the headmaster, "Good of you to join us."

"Thank you, Gray." Ozpin strode up to Alex and Ironwood. "Mr. Greene, James, good to see both of you."

"Ozpin."

"Good to see you too, sir."

"I apologize, but there has been enough delay," the red-haired councilor interrupted the reunion. "All in favor of reviewing the footage, say 'aye'." The final result was five in favor, against Argent and the young female councilor.

"The 'ayes' have it." Gray nodded. "Mr. Greene, if you would connect your device..."

"Before I do," Alex turned to look at Ruby, knowing how she had reacted to the recording when she stumbled upon it. On top of that, the other students, Winter, Firo, Carbon, and Luna had yet to see any of it, and he had no idea how it might affect them. "I'd like to ask anyone who is not prepared for it leave the room."

Ruby stood from her seat, and jumped down out of the stands. She flashed to Alex's side using her semblance. She locked eyes with the soldier, sending him the clear message that while she was afraid, she would stand by him. He gave the girl a thankful nod, and plugged the helmet in.

* * *

"Ortega, now's really not the time to be sleeping." Alex said to one of his younger soldiers. The slightly chubby and tanned Ortega jolted awake. The Dragonfly transport lurched slightly as it continued its flight.

"Sorry, Major." The young man replied, "Airsickness makes me drowsy."

"Well, least it's better than him vomiting everywhere like back in Portugal." Ryland commented from his seat, both arms idly behind his head while his helmet sat in his lap.

"Why would you even bring that up?" the British accented voice of Marcia, one of Alex's original teammates said. She was busy assembling an anti-material rifle in her lap.

"I assume because Ryland thinks it's his job to remember those things," Dimitri joined the chatter, "as opposed to remembering to fix thing's he's supposed to."

"That was _one_ time, Sarge."

"Yes, and so was Ortega's moment."

"Alright, you win this round." Ryland shrugged. "Hey, Bossman, how long until we-"

"Attention all units. This is General Barnes." A broadcast could be heard over everyone's radios, cutting Ryland's question short. "Order forces have amassed within a small area in uptown New York. From what we can tell, they have complete control and are searching for something. Your task is to teach these bastards their error in creating such a juicy target. I believe in each and every one of you in get this done. Good luck, Barnes out."

"Everyone run final gear checks." Alex ordered, keeping a watchful eye over his platoon as they readied their equipment. He passed on the Order to the two other Dragonflies carrying members of First Infantry. "Everybody good?" Nods and affirmations on the radio. "Alright, here we go."

"Get ready for a hot LZ. Order's got all sorts of nasty toys set up." The pilot informed them over the Dragonfly's intercom. "Side hatch is unlocked. Open her up." Alex walked over to the wide door of the transport and lifted the hatch up. A gust of wind hit his face and his eyes adjusted to the light outside.

Hundreds of transports converged on the city, Dragonflies and a handful of Albatrosses. A huge shadow covered the water below the aircraft. Alex looked up at the EDC dreadnaughts floating above them. The massive, four-mile long ships were to provide support if needed, but they were mostly there to keep the skies clear.

The transport shook as the first volley of anti-air flak exploded around them. Alex grabbed hold of the bar mounted inside the hatch. His troops readied themselves and joined him.

"Alright, we'll play this the same way we usually do." Alex laid out their plan over the radio to his platoon. "Yaminski, Ladasky, your squads suppress the living hell out of anything that pops its face up. Henderson, your squad's on marksman duty. Lead squad is going to punch right up the middle. Morgan, Raine, we'll need your Vanguards and engineers up front with us." The squad leaders all gave him various forms of acknowledgment.

"Sounds good, Boss." Dimitri nodded and pulled his weapon's firing pin to shove a round into the chamber. The flak was intensifying. Alex saw a Dragonfly from the Third Airborne take a hit to a rotor and begin to spin out of control into the water below.

"...Assuming we make it to land." Ryland commented. Ortega gulped. Anika took a deep breath.

* * *

The trio of Dragonflies reached the city's edge relatively unharmed. They hovered slightly off the ground, keeping the landing zone clear as their occupants dropped onto the ground.

"You've got a whole angry mod of Shades coming towards you from the North." the pilot of Alex's Dragonfly reported.

"Thanks. We can handle it from here, so go get yourselves somewhere safe."

"Roger that. Good luck, Major."

"Fenrirs! Twelve 'o' clock!" Henderson called out. "They brought their owners along too."

Sure enough, as the platoon rushed into cover, Alex spotted several Order soldiers mixed into the horde of Shades. First Infantry's heavy and rifleman squads did their part, firing their weapons into the oncoming crowd to thin their numbers. Henderson's marksmen were setting up to take shots at the humans among the creatures. Five rifle cracks were accompanied with four dropped bodies. Henderson swore.

"They've got a teleporter!" He rolled to the side as the Order member reappeared and stabbed at him. Dimitri turned his weapon on the Aura, and mowed him down. "Thanks, Sarge."

"No problem." The Russian nodded. "Watch out. They brought more." More Auras could be seen milling amongst the rushing Fenrirs. Alex caught sight of an orange glow in one's hand.

"Down!" He shouted a little too late. A fireball came searing through the air, hitting Yaminski and exploding violently. The heavy squad leader and two of his men were incinerated in the blink of an eye. The Fenrirs lurched forward as they reached the EDC's cover, attempting to jump over the cement barricades. They were gunned down mercilessly. Alex rapidly scanned the horde for the Aura that had- He felt the heat and saw the glow through the surging wolf Shades.

"For the glory of the Order!" the Acolyte shouted, letting out a blast of flame from his body. Alex was pulled to the ground by Dimitri as the fire passed over them. The other Auras and Shades took the opportunity to push forward.

"Back! Everyone fall back!" Alex commanded as he and Dimitri jumped to their feet. Ladasky's squad disappeared under the sea of shadowy wolves with choked screams. Henderson fell as an Order Knight removed his blade from the soldier's chest. "Dammit!" Alex backed up and fired. An Aura hopped onto on of the Vanguards shoulders and stabbed the operator in the head. The exo-suit collapsed to the ground, shattering the pavement as it landed. Alex was in a panic. He'd lost ten lives, a third of his platoon, his friends, in as many minutes.

The Order troops continued to close in on them, but suddenly came to a stop. One of them looked toward the sky and pointed. Fear was evident in his voice. A wave of brilliant violet flames crashed into the ground, followed by two forms smashing into the pavement. An invisible force threw Auras and Shades into the air. Alex heard a brief whistling noise, and the floating enemies were sliced cleanly in half. Two males in pure-white armor strode out from the smoke. One wore a long coat over his armor, twin high-caliber revolvers on his waist, and a wicked looking blade in his right hand. Four violet crow wings of flame jutted out from his back. The other wore a hooded cloak over his armor, and had a large scythe balanced on his shoulder.

The first male stepped forward and reached a hand out to a soldier to help them to their feet. He turned to Alex and spoke in a youthful voice.

"Sorry, we're late, Alex." he said apologetically.

"Try cutting it a little less close next time, Jerloh."

* * *

 **A/N: After talking about it early in the story, now you get to see the first half Alex's dreaded combat recording.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

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 **Arukune: Glad you thought so!**

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 **Waterlord: Hopefully I can keep the intensity high for the finale.**


	50. Chapter 49

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 49

"Jerloh," Alex turned his head to the Reaper, who was giving the other Guardian instructions. "Something doesn't seem right here, so I'm going to go check it out. Meet up with the rest of your team, then help Greene push forward."

"Yeah, I got it." Charles' son waved his hand. "Just get out of here and do your job."

"Keep yourself alive." the Reaper looked over the combatants in front of him. "All of you." With that, the cloaked Guardian ran off down the road. Jerloh turned to Alex.

"Alright, let's head out. I promise I'll leave some Shades for you guys on the way." the young Terror took off ahead towards in the direction of the Order forces. The boy made a gesture with his hand, and Alex looked up to see a flock of crows swarm after the Guardian.

"What the hell-" Ryland caught sight of the birds as they arrived at Jerloh's side, just as the Bloodline cut into his first group of Shades. The crows pecked and scratched at the Shades, leaving small slices and holes, tearing the larger creatures apart slowly. "Now I've seen everything."

"Let's move before he does all our work for us." Marcia commented.

"Right. Everyone, pack up. We're going to give our Guardian friend some support." Alex said, just as a blast of violet flame vaporized a large chuck of Order forces.

"I dunno, Sir." Ortega muttered, "Doesn't really look like he needs it."

* * *

The EDC worked their way up the main road, with Jerloh and their Vanguards acting as the front line. The other soldiers systematically shot any Shades that got past the exo-suits' tri-barreled cannons, while the Guardian and his crows darted in and out of the horde of Shades to take down any Auras he saw.

"Behemoths coming down the road!" Marcia called out. Alex confirmed the sighting of the large ground-based Shades. Around a dozen of the things were coming down the road at full runs, knocking the smaller Fenrirs aside or crushing them beneath their weight.

"Target heavy weapons on-" Alex started, before explosions rippled through the horde of charging Shades. Three additional figures in white armor had emerged from a side street, and were now assisting Jerloh with thinning the enemy. Ever since his fate seemed to have intertwined with them, Alex had taught himself to tell the members of the different Guardian teams apart. He recognized these three as the remaining members of Gamma, Jerloh's team.

"Evening, Major Greene." one of the two female Guardians greeted. Despite being a Bloodline, Jerloh was not the head of his team of four. Instead, leadership had been given to the girl in front of Alex, Elaine, or the "Frozen Queen", as the EDC had dubbed her. In contrast to her name, Alex had found her to be the most mature and warm of her team, as opposed to the more free-spirited natures of her fellow Guardians.

"Hello, Elaine. Nice of all of you to show up."

"Here to help, Alex!" the other female Guardian spoke up. Alyia, Jerloh's younger sister.

"Thanks, Aly." Alex looked around the street, suddenly realizing how quiet it was. "I didn't pay it much mind at first, but Reaper's right, something's up. They were all over us at first, now it feels like they're drawing us in."

"Now that you mention it," Elaine said, taking her own scan of their surroundings, "I agree. The Order has been being far more cautious than usual. This feels like a trap."

"You'd be right on that account." A voice said happily from behind them. The Guardians and EDC whipped around. Chaos stood behind them, a psychotic grin pasted on his face. Blood spattered and stained his armor. Weapons were leveled at him. "Ah, ah. None of that. I took the time to prepare before announcing myself." Ortega and the two remaining heavy weapons personnel under Alex's command were suddenly dragged across the ground by Chaos' shadows. Their weapon either flew out of their hands or were cut to pieces by the Lord's dark blades. The two men and one woman were hoisted into the air by their ankles. "Now that I have your attention and cooperation, allow me to outline how this is going to-" Every soldier's radio, Guardians and Order included, suddenly erupted to life.

"All forces, this is Barnes. Order forces have boarded command station Apollo. The ground engagement was a trap to draw our forces away. We have just now repaired communications and are broadcasting on an open channel. All units are ordered to fall back from combat immediately!" The sounds of gunfire could be heard over the radio, and it cut out.

"Well, that spares me the need to explain it." Chaos shrugged happily. "Only...none of you will be leaving like he asked. The other Lords and Knights will be picking off whatever's left of the EDC and the Guardians, while our infiltrators help themselves to your space station. The question is, how long will you all be able to entertain me?" Chaos' face split into an even more menacing and maniacal grin. Shadowy blades impaled the three soldiers he had taken hostage. The Lord casually dropped their bodies to the ground. Alex and the remaining soldiers fired on the Bloodline, who simply teleported out of the way. "How many of you are even left? Twelve of you, plus the four Guardians? Well, once Vortex gets here, we'll mop you all up in no-"

A crash echoed across the street as a figure in Order armor came sailing through the glass window of a skyscraper. Vortex grunted as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Yo, Vortex, you're late." Chaos said.

"Unlike you, I was dealing with my targets. I ran into an...issue on the way here."

"Something caused you trouble? That's unusual. What is it?" Chaos inquired as he used his shadows to block another hail of shots from the Guardians and EDC. Alex felt the air suddenly grow to an uncomfortably hot temperature. From the tower Vortex had been thrown out of, stepped a figure in armor with pitch-black plating and the glow of molten rock underneath. The shattered glass within a few feet of the figure began to melt. "Oh. Hello, Ignis."

The ex-Lord rushed forward at the other two Bloodlines without a word. He unsheathed a long, thin blade from his back which began to glow red-hot once it was in his hand. As it heated, the sword segmented into a bladed, whip-like form. Vortex rolled to the side to avoid a downward slash of the weapon that left melted and scorched cement in its wake. Chaos warped to Vortex's side, grabbed the man's shoulder, then teleported again to gain some distance, taking his fellow Lord with him.

"So, that _is_ an issue." Chaos commented idly. Ignis turned to Alex.

"Greene." the Bloodline of Flame acknowledged, lowering the intensity of the heat surrounding him.

"Ignis."

"We will have to split them to defeat them quickly."

"Right."

"The four of us can get Chaos." Jerloh offered. "And you guys can get Vortex."

"As good a plan as any." Ignis huffed, causing small bursts of smoke and flame to flare out from the cracks in his armor. "Just don't get in the way."

"I've seen how you swing that thing," Alex replied, gesturing the molten blade in Ignis' hand. "I think we'll help out from afar."

"Acceptable."

"Hey!" Chaos called from down the street, where both he and Vortex still blocked the EDC's escape. "Do I get to kill you, or are you just gonna talk all day?"

"If you were really confident in your ability to win, you'd have already attacked." Ignis shot back. Jerloh and the other Guardians dropped into ready stances. "On my lead." the ex-Lord whispered. "Now!"

* * *

Alex immediately stopped paying attention to the Guardians. In a four-on-one engagement, they'd have no trouble. The soldier was more concerned with keeping his remaining forces alive. They took up positions in the most optimal spot they could find as Ignis and Vortex began their clash. The soldiers took shots of opportunity at the two Bloodlines in melee, while the Guardians pushed Chaos further and further down the road.

Vortex flashed his hand toward the EDC troops as soon as he saw an opening. A blast of wind shattered the rubble they had been using as cover, sending jagged splinters of glass and cement flying. Two more of Alex's men fell, one clutching at a slash across his neck from a piece of glass, the other simply dropping as he was crushed by a chunk of concrete.

"Alex." The soldier's radio cracked to life. "Barnes here." The General wheezed.

"Yes, General?" Alex responded.

"Alex, come in." The Major realized that the General could not hear him. "I don't know whether you can hear this, but Apollo is lost. I cannot allow the Order to gain access to the data stored on board, and they've disabled the remote self destruct sequence. I know my duty to the EDC and to humanity. I know what I have to do. Along with the assistance of a brave few, I have manually set the station's core to detonate. Alexander Greene, and to all the members of the Infantry platoons, it has been an honor to serve as your General. Godspeed, and watch the fireworks. Barnes, signing off."

A second sun flared into existence in the sky. Alex had only a moment to process what Barnes had done, as he realized that an opportunity had presented itself. Vortex and Ignis both flinched and covered their eyes at the bright light, while Alex's visor automatically adjusted its polarity. The soldiers beside the blond man seemed to realize their chance as well. Rifles were raised at the Bloodline of Wind.

"Open fire."

Jerloh and his team returned just as Ignis deactivated his ability. The young Terror cast a glance at the hole-ridden corpse of Vortex, which lay bleeding into the ground.

"Where's Chaos?" Alex panted.

"At the bottom of a crater." Jerloh replied.

"Good." Dimitri cut in. "But, we should get out of here before more enemies start arrive."

"Right." Alex nodded. "We'll call for an evac." He quickly radioed in the request, which was met with a rapid response...by only two of their three Dragonfly transports...and there were already people in them.

"Sorry, Major." The pilot apologized. "We lost a lot of aircraft today. I can squeeze in around a dozen more bodies, and that's if we leave most of their gear behind."

"It's fine, Hatcher. Take whoever you can, and whoever's left will grab the next flight out."

"Yes, sir..." Alex shoved his remaining forces and the Auras onto the ship. The Guardians attempted to protest, but Alex cited their apparent injuries to force them to go. Ryland and Anika boarded the other Dragonfly, alongside the members of an Armored platoon. "We've got room for one more, sir." Alex looked around him. Only himself, Marcia, and Dimitri were left. The Russian and the Major shared a knowing look. Their long-time friend caught it.

"Oh, no. No way in hell am I going to- HEY!" Marcia yelled and struggled as Dimitri lifted her and handed her to the Guardians. "NO! YOU BAST-" The door closed as she was pulled in. Alex and Dimitri watched the two Dragonflies lift higher into the air, joining a grouping of aircraft containing more of their kind, an Albatross, and a handful of fighter craft. A flurry of anti-air flak fired upon the aircraft, shredding all but one to pieces. The last Dragonfly remaining disappeared into the distance. Alex wasn't even sure who was aboard it.

* * *

Another evacuating Dragonfly eventually managed to reach the two soldiers as they held out against smaller waves of Shades. The two jumped aboard the aircraft quickly as the dropship fired on the Shades below.

"Let's go! They're on!" a soldier yelled out. The Dragonfly's pilot pushed the machine into the air. Alex moved forward to the cockpit.

"Watch for anti-air, they've got it set up on this area."

"Thanks for the warning, Sir." The pilot nodded as he pushed the transport forward. "I'll keep-" The cockpit exploded in flame and threw Alex onto his back. Dimitri grabbed him as a feeling of weightlessness overtook him. The transport began its spiraling fall to the ground.

* * *

 _So this is how I die._

This was the only thought going through the Alex's mind. The dropship that had been meant to evacuate his team had taken Anti-air fire, and come crashing back down into the city. It hadn't taken long for the enemy to close in. Humans and Shades, so many Shades. The shadowy creatures were quite literally flooding Alex's position. And the worst part? Aside from himself, Alex had only one soldier left, Dimitri, his very first teammate. Of course, there were worst people to die with than your best friend.

He and Dimitri had been holed up in the wreckage of the dropship for nearly an hour at this point. They weren't even exchanging words anymore, simply introducing the oncoming enemies to the business ends of their dwindling ammunition. Alex's rifle gave a sharp click, and the expended magazine was quickly exchanged.

"Last mag, boss." Alex heard Dimitri mutter. Alex checked his own supply, two extras left. He handed one to his companion.

"Make it count, alright?" He got a nod in return. They quickly returned to their defensive positions, awaiting the next wave. Something struck Alex. Where had all the enemy soldiers gone? One moment they had been pouring down their throats, and now, complete silence engulfed them. Where had the enemy gone?

The answer to Alex's question came in the form of a blinding flash of light. A giant mushroom cloud sprouting high above the skyscrapers. Alex dropped his weapon to his side, letting the rifle hang by its strap. Dimitri put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's been an honor, boss."

"Yeah." Alex nodded, "Yeah it has."

* * *

The recording switched off as the light swept over the two soldiers. The image became pitch-black as the camera attempted to automatically correct its exposure. After a while, only a few words popped up in the corner of the image.

 _Serious damage sustained/ GPS signal lost/ Communications lost/ Operator status unavailable/ Presumed operator death._

Alex turned to the council, Ruby was tightly gripping his hand for support.

"So, what to you believe now?"

* * *

 **A/N: There we go. Some parts of it feel a little fast for my tastes, but it turned out pretty well, I believe. Fun fact: Chapters 48 and 49 were originally a single chapter, but because of this split, the story is getting extended to 53 chapters now, instead of 52.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

* * *

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 **Skaana: Welcome back! And as for your prediction...well, you'll see.**


	51. Chapter 50

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 50

"That...was..." Councilor Gray trailed off as the recording ended. "By Remnant...is _that_...coming here?"

"Only if we do nothing to stop Vortex." Alex answered.

"I see. Mr. Greene. General Ironwood. Ozpin. Please give the council some time to discuss and come to a decision. You've...certainly given us much to think about."

"Of course." the headmaster of Beacon nodded. "We will await your decision outside, then." The non-political occupants of the room shuffled out the double doors and into the hallway. A dark silence hung over the EDC and their friends from Remnant. Ruby was still gripping Alex's hand tightly. The Major carried a sickened feeling in his stomach.

"Ruby...?" He began, "Can...you let me go for a bit?" She nodded, noticing the ill look on his face. As she let go, Alex quickly ran into the nearest restroom, where Ruby assumed he went to throw up. The young girl saw Luna worriedly track the soldier with her eyes. Ruby closed the distance between the two of them, and the two began to talk slightly out of earshot of the rest of their friends.

"Hi, Ruby..." Luna greeted faintly. "Is Alex..."

"I think he'll be okay..."

"That's good." the blue-haired woman sighed.

"When are going to talk to him? If you wait too long, then-"

"I know, Ruby..." The student had found Luna taking care of Alex one of the nights he had overworked himself. Luna had been covering him with a blanket. Ruby had asked her why she had been avoiding Alex, yet was still taking care of him. As it turned out, the azure-haired girl was not upset with the soldier, but rather her own romantic emotions towards him. "I'm a coward, aren't I?"

"No. You just need to explain yourself. You know he'll be understanding."

"I'm afraid, Ruby. After what Alex has seen...I don't know if he'll return my feelings...I want to be there for him, but...what if he pushes me away?"

"He wouldn't do that. What happened to them didn't affect Dimitri, so why would it affect Alex? I mean, I know they're not the same person, but they're both really tough. Even Ryland and Anika came through alright."

Ruby gestured to the people in question, who were holding "conversations" of their own. Dimitri was being tightly embraced by Blake and Firo, the latter of whom had buried herself in the man's chest. Ryland was caught in vicegrip-like hold by Yang. Emerald sat between Anika and Arthur, rubbing them both on their backs, as tears streamed down the sniper's face and the Guardian held a solemn expression. Even Charles' normally cheery demeanor had taken a hit, and the two Schnee sisters were watching over him worriedly. "Could you talk to him if I was there with you?"

"T-thank you, Ruby...but, no...I have to work up the courage myself..."

"Just do it before its too late, okay?"

"...I will..."

* * *

Alex eventually exited the restroom, still appearing quite unsettled. It was something Ruby could understand, he had, after all, watched his friends die a second time and been helpless to do anything. The girl knew that the soldier likely blamed himself for their deaths, it was probably why he carried around the dog-tags of the fallen.

Alex sat down on a bench a short distance away. Ruby cast a look at Luna, who shook her head sadly. She still couldn't work up the courage to speak to him. The student sighed, bid the blue-haired girl a quick goodbye, and then situated herself next to her "brother". She gently nudged his arm with her elbow to alert him to her presence. It struck Ruby how similar Alex's haunted expression was to how others had described hers after killing the soldier from the Order. It was a tired gaze, of someone who carried too much weight on their shoulders, who had seen more than they deserved.

"Ruby..." He croaked out her name. His eye's were red. The little girl hugged his arm.

"It's okay." She said it not only for Alex, but for herself as well, as her own feelings of unease and repulsion at the carnage she had seen in the recording now threatened to overwhelm her. "Everything is going to be okay."

* * *

"Everyone." Councilor Gray stepped into the hallway. It had been over two hours since they had emptied the meeting chamber. "You may come back in now. We have reached a decision."

The EDC and their allies filed back into the room, reoccupying the seats that had taken earlier. Alex noticed Luna watching him, looking as if something were holding her back. Ruby had decided to keep her place at Alex's side. He gave her a gratitude-filled pat on the head.

"...Now," Gray began, "...We have a decision that contains both...good and bad news for your request of support...Which Councilor Prometheus will explain..." She gestured to the aged, red-haired politician that had openly been in the EDC's court from the beginning. He stood so he could project his voice better.

"Yes, I think it is safe to say that Mr. Greene has opened our eyes. The good news is that we have agreed to offer you support...but we regret to say that we can not offer much in the way of soldiers... Vale's military has long been the smallest of the four kingdoms, you understand...so we cannot send many troops or Huntsmen with you without sacrificing our own defenses...However, on a personal note, Mr. Greene, I will pay out of pocket to help supply your forces with anything you might need, as will Councilor Gray. I do apologize that we are unable to offer more."

"That's fine, Councilor...Knowing that you're willing to help is already enough, even if it's just a little." Alex responded.

"Once this 'threat' is eliminated," Argent spoke up and glared down at Alex, Ozpin, and Ironwood. "I do hope you and your forces do not stir up any more trouble." The three men glared straight back at the Councilor.

"Argent," Gray growled, "do not think we won't be discussing why you failed to accurately report the nature of this footage later."

"Of course." He gave an exaggerated bow of his head. "I wish Mr. Greene the best of luck."

* * *

"So what happened?" Vio asked right as Alex and the others boarded the large Atlesian dustplane that carried the EDC's Albatrosses. The three White Fang members, two thieves, and Zephyr had been kept aboard the ship during the meeting. "Are they in?"

"In a way. They've offered monetary support for anything we do, but not much in the way of troops."

"Are you serious? Dammit." The wolf Faunus huffed. "Oh, right. Barnes called earlier, asked for you and Ironwood to get a hold of him once you got back."

"Alright, I'll get around to that." Alex nodded tiredly and walked towards the ship's bridge. Vio grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Hey, you don't look so good."

"I'm fine. Thanks for worrying though."

"Hey, you looked out for me, least I can do is return the favor."

"Thanks, Vio, but I'm fine, really."

"If you say so, Greene." She released his arm. "But, seriously, get some sleep or something later."

"I'll try."

"Oh, and go talk to your girlfriend with the blue hair while you're at it." Vio laughed and pointed behind Alex. He turned just in time to see Luna's long hair vanish around the corner. The Major followed her, bidding Vio a quick goodbye.

"Luna," He started as he caught up to her, "What's going on?"

"I- I'm sorry- I ha- have to..." she stuttered and trailed off.

"Luna, did I say or do something to upset you? We've barely spoken since we split up from Barnes. Whatever it is, I'm sorry."

"I-" She looked down at the ground. "It's not anything you did..."

"Then what's wrong? If you need help with something, all you need to do is ask." Luna remained silent for several long moments.

"C-can we talk in private?" She asked shakily.

"Of course." Alex replied. Luna gave an unsure nod. She started to reach for his hand, then stopped short and simply led him to an empty room. As the door shut behind them, Luna took an unsteady breath.

"A-Alex...are we...friends?"

"Luna, of course we are. Why wouldn't you think we were-"

"It's n-not that...it's..." Her face had become a bright red to rival Ruby's cloak in color. "...could we be...more than that?" She whispered quietly.

"What? I couldn't hear that last part." Alex took a step closer. Luna began to shake nervously. "Hey, Luna-" He was cut off as the girl threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips before quickly pulling away. Apparently she had acted on pure instinct, as the realization of what she had just done hit her. She placed her hands over her mouth and turned away from the soldier as he stood in shocked silence, processing what had just happened.

"I- I'm so sorry!" Luna whimpered, walking over to the wall of the room and leaning her forehead against it. "I- I just- I tried to hold it in, but-" Alex closed the distance between them as the girl broke into teary sobs from the stress. He finally understood what was going on. He wrapped Luna in a reassuring hug, caressing the top of her head until her cries subsided.

"Luna, you didn't have to hide from me."

"...I-...I'm sorry...Somewhere during our time together, I just...figured out that I...felt something more than friendship...Alex...I love you...E-even if y-you don't f-feel the s-sa-" Luna's tears flowed anew.

"Luna..." Alex pulled her in tighter. "I-"

"-Can't return the feeling... I understan-" She stopped as Alex quickly kissed her on the cheek.

"I was going to say: 'I love you too, just give me some warning before you kiss me next time'." Alex chuckled as Luna's mouth hung open. More tears fell like a waterfall from her eyes, but this time they were accompanied by an expression of pure joy. She pulled him in again, laughing and crying at the same time.

* * *

"Where have you two been?" Dimitri raised an eyebrow as two very flustered-looking figures entered the ship's bridge.

"W-we were just..." Luna blushed and turned away, causing Dimitri to turn his gaze towards the equally red-tinted face of his EDC squad leader.

"...settling some things." Alex finished the answer unconvincingly. Dimitri looked to Firo, who stood at his side, and the two of them shared a knowing glance.

"I see. Congratulations, Boss, Luna." Dimitri chuckled.

"Yes, we're happy for you two." Firo added.

"I expect juicy details later~" Yang sang from the other side of the room. Luna reflexively moved closer to Alex, trying to hide her face behind him. Ruby tapped Luna from behind, causing the blue-haired girl to let out an adorable shriek of surprise.

"See?" the student asked, "Wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No it wasn't...Thank you, Ruby." Luna bent over slightly to give the smaller girl a thankful hug. Ironwood cleared his throat.

"Mr. Greene's love life aside, I believe we have a call to make." He reached down and pressed a button on the ship's central terminal, causing a holographic screen to appear in the air in front of the captain's chair. After a short wait and a few rings, a live feed of Barnes' face appeared.

"Hello, everyone." The EDC General greeted. "I trust everything has gone smoothly with the council? And, Alex, I see you've finally gotten yourself a lovely lady."

"How is it so obvious?" Alex inquired in a befuddled voice.

"Well, Miss Azure _is_ hanging off your arm, and the two of keep making these eyes at each other. It's adorable, really."

"Can we get back on task, please!?" Ironwood said loudly.

"Right, right. James is jealous because the lovely woman he has his sights on wants his head on a platter most of the time."

"I DO NOT-"

"Anyway, how'd it go with the council?" Barnes cut off the Atlesian General.

"They pledged to help, but they can't lend us many soldiers." Alex explained.

"We can make do with that. I have some better news on my end. Thanks to Miss Fall, we found the temple. Saw it with my own eyes this morning, which is why I had to skip out on the meeting."

"You're sure its the one?"

"It is quite literally the only building still standing on the entire continent. I'm fairly certain."

"Send us the coordinates," Ironwood requested excitedly, "I'll alert Ozpin and the council, and we'll head out immediately."

"Our beautiful Hilda's on it right now." Barnes said. A single hand with only its middle finger raised popped into frame for a moment. "...And she is in an excellent mood as always. I should warn you, though, there is a problem." Barnes' tone became serious. "The Order's already here. They've set up around the temple in force. All sorts of defense weapons."

"Nothing we can't handle though, right?" Alex asked.

"We play our hand right, they won't know what hit em. I'll see you all here ASAP, I've got some more setup to do. Barnes out." After a quick salute, the call ended.

"...You know...I wonder how Miss Bernstein gets away with being so rude..." Firo pondered aloud.

"Because the General knows that she's the only one who knows how to work half the things on that ship." Dimitri explained. "So he feels it's best to just let her wrath run its course. Though to be fair...she's probably running the whole Corvette on her own right now...Maybe she's entitled to be a bit disrespectful..."

"I think that was more than a bit." Yang commented.

"That's why she's my idol." Ryland smiled impishly. His blonde companion punched him in the shoulder. "So, Bossman...you and Lun-"

"We aren't starting this conversation again."

* * *

Chaos watched the ship the EDC had boarded take off into the air. He'd gotten exceedingly lucky, and caught sight of them when they raided the hideout the Order had been in. He'd hoped they'd take him directly to Vortex, but instead they had flown to this city for some sort of boring meeting. Now that they were setting out again, however...well, there was really only one place they could be heading. Chaos' face split into a wide grin as he envisioned appearing just in time to steal victory from both parties. Still he had to finish up before he followed.

"P-please...d-don't-" The legless man on the ground gripped at Chaos' ankle. What could say? He'd gotten bored waiting for the EDC's meeting to end. The man's wife and child cowered against the wall of the dark alleyway he'd cornered them in. He sighed. No time to enjoy himself. "Y-you can k-kill me, b-but p-please- my f-family-"

Chaos idly waved his hand, and a sharp spike of shadow burst from the wife's forehead. The child cried out in horror.

"N-NO! YOU MONSTER!" The man cried. Chaos sighed again, he'd better wrap up before any police arrived. Another wave of his hand, and the man was silenced. The man's son backed as far away from him as possible, eyes wide in fear.

"Don't be sad, kiddo." Chaos' face broke into another manic smile, "You'll see 'em again real soon."

* * *

 **A/N: The end approaches. The last three chapters might take a bit longer depending on how things go, just a fair warning. On the plus side, Alex and Luna. Hooray!**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

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 **Arukune and Dimas15: Thanks to both of you for sticking with this for so long. And I'm glad you've continued to enjoy!**

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	52. Chapter 51

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 51

"My Lord!" an Order soldier ran up behind Vortex as the Bloodline continued his long staring contest with the temple's sealed entrance. Whatever the structure had been made of, it was nigh indestructible. Even Vortex slamming winds powerful enough to knock over trees in the surrounding landscape into it had not caused the doors to budge in the slightest.

"What is it?"

"Sir, a ship bearing EDC insignias is approaching the temple. Corvette class."

"Its appearance may be a trap to attempt to lure some of us away from the defenses. Keep an eye on it, alert me if anything changes."

"Yes, my Lord." the soldier bowed, "I will carry out your orders at once." Vortex turned back to the temple.

* * *

"Hilda, would you be so kind as to open a call to Alex and the others? I'd like to know how close they are." Barnes asked as he stared at the temple in the distance.

"Right." Bernstein pressed a few buttons on a nearby console. "There." A floating hologram appeared in front of the EDC General.

"Barnes?" Ironwood's voice answered the incoming hail. "What is it?"

"Just wondering how close you all are to getting here. Order's been trying to force open the temple door."

"We're pushing the dustplane's engine as hard as it can go right now. At our current pace, we should be there in an hour or so."

"Sounds good. I'll hold here for now."

"See you soon, Barnes. Ironwood out." The Atlesian General gave a quick, respectful nod before the transmission ended.

"Sir." Barnes turned towards the voice of the leader of Fireteam Cerberus. The red-haired commando's boots thudded against the floor of the bridge as he walked. He saluted his superior.

"Yes, Axton, what is it?"

"Fall asked to see you."

"Tell her she's welcome to come up to the bridge if she's ready."

* * *

Vortex growled at the temple's exterior. Had he come all this way to be foiled by a _door_? Inscriptions in varying colors outlined the entrance, written in a language the Lord had never seen. He studied the words carefully, hoping to- He stopped as something caught his eye. Hidden amongst the dark stone was a small imprint of a human hand.

 _No...It couldn't be that simple._ Vortex pressed his palm to the indent and pressed. As he had expected, nothing happened, but at least he had found a possible way to break the temple's seal. He repeated the process, this time gathering raw energy in his hand as he pressed down. The doors remained stubbornly closed, but the inscription around the door seemed to pulse in response. A thought struck the Lord, and he removed his right gauntlet from his forearm. He drew his sword and ran the sharp implement across his thumb, drawing blood. He placed his hand back in the impression.

The door's inscription suddenly shone a bright golden hue, causing Vortex to take a step back and shield his eyes. The change in color slowly flowed from the imprint of the palm across the entire temple. The Lord followed the light's path with his eyes as it skittered towards the peak of the pyramid-like structure. A thin beam of golden light shot from the apex of the temple into the air. The sealed entrance cracked and groaned as it slowly ground open, its two stone doors swinging inward.

Without hesitation, Vortex stepped into the temple's interior, motioning for several soldiers to follow him with their Shades. He made sure to grab the case of Void Dust as he entered. His moment of triumph was here.

* * *

Barnes turned as the Cerberus squad leader reentered the bridge, this time accompanied by Cinder.

"Miss Fall." the General greeted.

"General." she nodded, "I...just realized that there's a possibility we'll all die today...I should thank you...for offering me a chance to help."

"You're quite welcome." Barnes smiled, "Don't stress out too much about dying, though. If you spend too much time backing up from one thing that might kill you, sometimes you'll just back into something else."

"I'm not sure I understand." Cinder cocked her head and rose an eyebrow.

"I'm telling you to stop being a pessimist." he chuckled.

"...Oh." Cinder responded. "I see. What would you suggest I think about instead?"

"Me? I'd say think about what you want to do after we win. That should keep your drive up."

"About that..." Cinder's expression fell, "I'm just going to wind up in prison even if we do win...it's hard to look forward to that..."

"Well, you could always work for me." Barnes shrugged casually. "Ironwood got pardons for your mint-haired friend and the White Fang we picked up along with you. They're planning on working with the EDC and the kingdoms to help build a better future. Sound like something you'd want to be part of?"

"I..." Cinder trailed off and began to think deeply about her answer. Ever since she'd been a girl, she'd been consumed with an intense hatred of the kingdoms. When her hometown had been overrun by Grimm, Atlas had left them to rot. When she and the few left became refugees, the kingdom had turned them away. They were told it was their fault for living in a frontier town. They'd eventually wound up in a section of the slums. Cinder could clearly remember the cold ground and the feeling of rain dropping onto her small form from holes in their roof. She'd seen her mother slowly waste away, as the woman gave up her own food so her child would live. She'd watched a pair of drunk Atlesian soldiers beat her father into the ground, then watched helplessly as he died from the ensuing infection.

As she grew, her hate only grew with her. Cinder remembered the first time she'd stolen. She had snatched a case of Dust away from a businessman when he had left it unattended. At first, she was going to sell the Dust for money, but then she had discovered her affinity for the substance. She practiced at night, carefully rationing what she had acquired. During the day, she had continued to hone her skills as a thief, slowly picking the pockets of richer and richer people.

Then...she'd learned how to kill. She had seen them, the two soldiers that had killed her father, with shiny new promotions pinned to their chests. She had been sixteen at the time, and the two men had been just inebriated enough to be guided away to an isolated location. She'd killed them slowly, with a genuine grin on her face. It felt _good_ when she ignored their pleas like they had ignored her father's. After their corpses were charred past the point of recognition, she'd felt...empty. The thrill and fulfillment she had felt at exacting revenge just...evaporated.

After that, Cinder had continued to steal for a while, needing it to live. She learned what people could do to each other, and how the kingdoms did nothing but watch and sanction the slaughter of those less fortunate than them. Cinder had made a vow, that she would tear down each and every kingdom, with her bare hands if she had to.

But, now? Where did she stand? It was actually something that she hadn't given much thought since being rescued by the EDC. Despite being part of a military, the EDC operated very differently from the armies of the kingdoms. The feeling in the air was more...familial...than hierarchical. Barnes may have called the shots, but his men were free to question his decisions, to find holes in the man's planning, to improve upon his ideas. They all worked together as a cohesive whole to make sure as many of them survived as possible. On top of that, despite the fact she was a stranger, none of the five members of the EDC treated her like anything less than a guest aboard their ship. The thought of being welcomed into their ranks was...enticing, to say the least.

"...What would I do?"

"Well, you've shown a knack for digging up information, and if James' reports on what was happening in Vale are accurate, you've got a head for tactics as well. Plus, it never hurts to have an extra pair of eyes watching your back."

"So...you want me to just...help out wherever I'm needed?"

"That's just how I run things. I can try to give you a more structured role of you'd like."

"It's not that. It's just...what's the benefit for you? It's not like you'd be adding anything aside from an extra set of hands and a mouth to feed."

"Is it wrong to say that the benefit is more personal in nature?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're right, Cinder, I don't _need_ an extra body aboard this ship. I see potential in you to be someone remembered for something great. You've got the same look of determination Alex had the first time I called him into my office back home. Both of you have something that many don't. Leadership. How you two have used it has been different, yes, but the fact remains that you and he inspire the people around you. Alex decided to be a hero. I'd like to give you that chance."

Cinder didn't answer immediately, she just gaped at the General for a few moments. She blinked a couple times and shook her head.

"Why? Why do you care what happens to me? Someone not from your world, and a wanted criminal on top of that?"

"I really can't say. Mostly because I hate seeing kids with promise getting locked up because they were dealt a bad hand." Cinder's face broke into a look of surprise. "Yes, James found your records."

"And...even knowing all that...the _killing_ -"

"Doesn't change my offer. Every EDC operative in Remnant has had to pull the trigger on somebody at least once." Barnes crossed his arms behind his back. "...You'd have to cut out the stealing though." The corner of the General's mouth twitched impishly. Despite her best efforts to remain serious, the gesture cause Cinder to cover her own lips to stifle a laugh.

"Very well, General. Since it seems that my best chance of making up for what I've done and for making changes it with you and the EDC..." Cinder straightened her back, regaining her composure. "I will accept your offer."

"Excellent, then wel-" Barnes was cut off as a bright flash of light erupted into the sky from the temple. "That can't be good. Hilda! Call James and Alex again, let them know we're starting without them!" He stopped. "Oh, and one last thing. Welcome to the EDC, Private Fall."

* * *

More doors. Vortex was getting tired of seeing them. Thankfully, none of them required more of his blood to open, or he'd be half-dead by the time he found wherever it was he needed to be to activate the structure. As if on demand, the next set of doors revealed a tall, stone archway...with yet another set of doors. At the very least, this entrance was clearly different from the others. The golden light that had spread throughout the temple gathered at this massive vault-like section.

"At last." Vortex breathed. He turned to issue commands to the troops that had accompanied him. "Spread out. Make sure no one interrupts me."

"Yes, my Lord."

The Bloodline walked across the large room that stood between him and his goal, reaching the titanic door at the other end. Unlike the main entrance and all the doorways prior, the eight-meter tall stone panels were pure white, instead of the dark gray stone that had comprised the others. Vortex placed his hands to the entrance and pushed, finding the doors surprisingly light for their size as they glided inward at his touch.

As he stepped though the archway, the two doors swung shut behind him. He had entered a rather underwhelming room for such a magnificent entrance. The chamber was a cube, around sixteen meters in length, width, and height. A single crystal floated in the center of the room, suspended in some sort of complex altar. Vortex hefted the case of Void Dust in his hand and neared the hovering mineral.

 **"** **Welcome, Lem Cadellin. Or do you prefer Vortex?"**

* * *

The combined forces of the EDC, Atlas, and Vale arrived to the temple's coordinates to see the Corvette already engaged with the Order forces on the ground. As tracers of projectiles and bursts of flak surrounded the EDC ship, it responded with steady volleys of strikes from its cannons. Alex switched his radio on as the Atlesian dustplane approached the battle.

"General, we've arrived."

"Good, and here I thought I'd get to have all the fun without you."

"What's the situation, sir?"

"The Order certainly set up a lot of anti-air defenses. We've been clearing them out steadily so we can put troops on the ground, but they're working hard to shield the things every time we hit them."

"So it's a stalemate slightly in your favor at the moment?"

"That would about sum it up." Alex heard a muffled voice over the radio that wasn't Barnes.

"No cover or civilians to protect you this time, bastards!"

"...Cerberus seems to be enjoying themselves..." The Major commented.

"Axton and his team are quite eager, yes."

"Anyway, once we've got a clear landing zone, we can drop the Talons and troops off."

"I'll work with James on that, you go get your end ready."

"Roger that, sir. Greene out."

* * *

Alex looked over the forces as they boarded the Bullhead aircraft used by the Atlesians. The Albatrosses were being designated as gunships for this attack, not transports, so they were remaining devoid of much beyond the pilots. They was a major problem with this operation that concerned Alex, the Grimm. The creatures were crawling around everywhere in the forest around the temple. This meant that they would have to divide their forces to make sure they wouldn't get overwhelmed from behind.

Alex's heart jumped slightly as someone touched his arm. Behind him stood a girl with multicolored hair, who eyed him curiously. Neo, if Alex recalled correctly. She gave him a silent wave of greeting, then fell back behind the group behind her. Three Faunus and two other Humans. Vio, Adam, Erwin, Roman, and Zephyr.

"Hey, Greene." The purple-haired wolf Faunus said, "Adam and I brought you this lot because they had something to say."

"H-hello, Major." Erwin took a step forward, "I just wanted to say thanks for giving us all second chances."

"Hey, it's nothing." Alex replied kindly. "Anyone deserves another chance if they're willing to take it and improve."

"That's a rather pleasant philosophy, though one I can't say I've personally held." Roman commented, "All the same though, it looks like it's working out. Thanks, Greene." Neo nodded her agreement.

"Zephyr has something to say as well." Erwin gently guided the girl forward.

"Major..." She took a deep breath. "...I can't forgive what people like you did to my family...but, you've proven that things weren't as black and white as I once thought...I can't bring myself to fight the Order...but I can help hold off the Grimm if you'd let me."

"We'd all go with her, of course." Roman added.

"I see no problem with that. Thank you all for your help."

"Thank you, Alex." Adam nodded to the soldier. "We'll make sure to prove your trust isn't misplaced. Good luck." The Faunus man reached out a hand, which Alex shook readily.

"Good luck to all of you as well."

* * *

"Rear-guard has already encountered Grimm. Sounds like they're fine for now." Dimitri reported as he listened in on the radio chatter. Their Bullhead shook as the few remaining flak turrets attempted to pick the aircraft out of the sky. "Just like old times, huh Boss?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded, "Not sure I'd call eight months ago 'old times', though."

"We came a long way, didn't we?" the Russian asked.

"We did. Never would have thought all this would happen." Alex felt Luna hook her arm around his.

"You're glad it did though, right?" She rested her head lightly on his shoulder.

"Of course. The people we've met are the best part of our time on Remnant." Alex chuckled and ruffled the girl's blue hair. "Everyone here is a friend and ally, and in a few cases, more than that." He looked at the total of twelve occupants seated in the Bullhead. Luna, Ruby, Dimitri, Firo, Blake, Charles, Weiss, Winter, Ryland, Yang, Carbon, and himself. They were all people that Alex was glad to have fought alongside. The Major felt the jolt of the Bullhead stopping above the ground. He rose from his seat, friends both old and new at his side.

"You ready, Alex?" Charles asked, unsheathing his blade from his waist and moving to the front of their group.

"As much as I'm ever going to be."

"Good. Then let's give em hell."

* * *

 **A/N: The final countdown begins! I hope it's living up to everyone's standards so far.**

 **So, Cinder was an interesting and difficult character to write, simply because we know barely anything about her. I thought long and hard about what could motivate her to be the way she's shown in the show. What makes someone want to destroy the lives of thousands that isn't just the writers going, "It's cause they're evil, LOL!"?**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **MaskedReaper: If it was that early in the story, that was Charles.**

 **Skaana: No, you got it right the first time.**

 **AnalPoptarts: Thanks for the words of praise and encouragement! As for the last part of the previous chapter, well, that's Chaos for you."**

 **Guest: I can't really respond to your review, so I'll just say thanks for leaving it and for clearly sticking with the story for this long!**


	53. Chapter 52

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 52

Vortex looked around the altar chamber for the source of the voice that had greeted him. Nothing else stood in the room aside from the crystal and its shrine.

"Show yourself." The Lord demanded aloud into the empty room.

 **"I cannot reveal what can already be seen."** the voice replied. It seemed to echo from every direction in the chamber. Vortex set his eyes on the altar.

"So, you are the crystal?"

 **"** **That is the form I now possess, yes."**

"How do I harness your power? How do I wish for the destruction of my enemies?"

 **"** **...What you wish to do is simple...All that is needed to activate the temple is to** **provide** **the necessary power source** **for** **the altar."** the voice explained. Vortex nodded and set the case of Void Dust on the ground, opening it with a click. Inside where the multitudes of crystal shards the Order had gathered, aligned neatly. The Lord took two of the items in his hands and walked to the altar. Several dozen receptacles were arranged around the altar in a circle, with the single large crystal in the center. He gently placed a shard of Void Dust into one of the slots, causing the small hole to shine with golden light. He tightened his grip on the other shard in his hand as the temple shook violently.

"How close are they?" Vortex asked.

 **"The ones you view as foes have reached the entrance of the temple. Their flying construct rains down fire upon your forces."**

"Then I must move quickly."

* * *

Alex placed his rifle in a charging Fenrir's mouth and blew its head to pieces. He and the others had led the charge into the temple while the soldiers of Vale and Atlas held the area outside. Arthur, Emerald, Anika, and Mac had stayed to guard the entrance into the structure. A problem struck the soldier as they worked their way further in, following a trail of open doors and mowing down waves of Shades. Their group was only twelve members in total, four of which were students. From personal experience, he knew a fight against Vortex in an enclosed space was a bad idea, but it wasn't like they had much choice. At least they had a decent chance with Charles with them. Alex had told the Bloodline of Fear to hang back to preserve his energy.

"Alex..." He turned his head to find Ruby at his side. She cut down a Fenrir that was trying to flank them with a swift swing of Crescent Rose. "We can win, right?"

"We can." He answered, firing a burst into a Banshee as it emerged from behind a pillar.

"...Without losing anyone?" He mechanically continued to pick off Shades that wandered into his field of fire, and remained silent for several seconds.

"...I can't guarantee anything, Ruby, but I will do anything in my power to make sure all of us go home."

* * *

 **"** **They draw closer."** the voice said calmly.

"You're being strangely cooperative for a being that knows what I intend to wish for."

 **"The** **troubles** **of the mortal world** **are** **no longer** **of** **concern** **to** **me."**

"But they were at one point?"

 **"Yes. However, it was when I still had a people to lead and protect."** Vortex stopped as the voice uttered those words. He knew who the voice was.

"...You're the king from the legends...but, how?"

 **"When I was still flesh and bone, I sought to protect my people from the Grimm. I built this temple from Dust and stone, and designed it to harness the power of the colorless crystals to grant the deepest desire of the one who used it. However, beyond the Void Dust, the altar also requires energy from a living person."**

"And you were that person?" the Lord asked, slowly continuing to place the Dust crystals in the proper slots.

 **"Yes. However, my wish was not as your legends make it out to be. As the Grimm swept over our land, the people of my kingdom fled to this very spot to protect me while I fulfilled the ritual. By the time the altar had gathered enough energy, none of my people were left for me to save. The Grimm dragged their bodies into the forest to feed** **while I was sealed within this chamber** **. In my anguish, my heart cried to prevent any other from failing as I had. The crystal heard me, and thus I became its voice, so that any who followed me could understand the power contained here and how to use it."**

"That's..." Vortex trailed off and placed another Void Dust crystal within a receptacle. "...saddening to hear. I'm sorry."

 **"Your words betray your true nature, Lem Cadellin. Your core is not the monster the world believes your whole to be."**

"If only I shared your optimistic view..." Vortex heard the muffled sounds of gunfire from the other side of the chamber doors. "They're here...but not a moment too soon." He dropped the final shard of Dust into the last empty, unlit slot.

* * *

Alex and others formed up behind the door. The four students were in position to push the double doors open. Weiss and Ruby on one, and Yang and Blake on the other. Alex quickly checked his weapon's magazine to make sure it was full. Dimitri racked his own weapon's firing pin as he loaded a fresh belt into the machine gun. Ryland loaded a round into his prosthetic arm's railgun and powered up the magnetic coil within.

"Are you all ready for this?" Alex asked the faithful allies beside him.

"Of course." Luna replied from beside him before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "For good luck."

"That's not a bad idea." Dimitri nodded, giving Firo a kiss and patting Blake's head reassuringly.

"Hey, I'm all for that." Yang shrugged, grabbing Ryland and forcing their lips together. The young soldier gasped for breath as he was released from the blonde's crushing grasp. "There. Now you've got no excuse for not knowing how I feel."

"...Gah...Love you too, Yang...but please don't injure me _before_ we fight." Despite where they stood, Alex couldn't help but chuckle. They were perhaps mere feet away from dying, but here they were, exchanging words like any other day. He smiled to himself and looked over the other eleven people around him. His friends. His family.

"Alright," He raised his rifle at the doorway. "Let's end this...and let's go home."

* * *

Alex burst through the doors as they opened, spotting the armored form of Vortex immediately. He and the others filled the air with a hail of bullets that rushed towards the Lord...only to clatter harmlessly to the ground as they encountered some sort of invisible resistance. Charles flared his ability and rushed forward with his blade drawn, impacting and bouncing off the same spectral wall. Vortex turned to face them, his helmet off and his face stoic.

"You are too late, Greene, Charles. I have won." He turned to face the altar in the center of the room. "I wish for my enemies to perish! For all who oppose me to die!" Alex flinched and let his rifle hang limp as bright light filled the room. Luna grasped his hand. Ruby let Crescent Rose droop in her grip. All they'd done, and they'd been too late?

Suddenly, the light lowered in intensity. The crystal hanging above the altar emitted the warm golden glow. Alex looked himself over, checked on Luna and Ruby, then everyone else. Everybody was still here. Why were they still alive?

"What? Why are they still here!? I asked you to kill them!" Vortex whirled on the altar.

 **"** **Because that is not your wish."**

"I explicitly stated that I wanted them to die!" He yelled at the crystal.

 **"** **Your mind may speak one desire...but that is your most logical desire...not your greatest. One's greatest desire is one of emotion...not of mind."**

"Then you cannot grant me what I seek? If my wish is ruled by emotion, then it is impossible!" Vortex threw his helmet to the ground, cracking the glass visor.

 **"It is possible for the temple to grant it...but-"** Vortex's head shot up and he cut off the echoing voice.

"If that is true, then do it!"

 **"The presence of others in this room will interfere with the ritual...some of their desires will be granted as long as they stand within the chamber, though not to as full an extent as yours...but only you will pay the toll for all of them...the energy required may prove to be too much for your body to handle..."** The crystal's voice explained.

"I don't care! Take as much energy as you need!" Vortex's voice was filled with...desperation... and longing...Alex had never heard the Lord's voice like this. Charles sheathed his blade.

"Mr. Blackwill?" Winter cried, "Why did you put your weapon away?"

"If his wish is what I think it is...there's no need to fight anymore..." the Bloodline replied sadly.

"What do you mea-" Weiss started to ask, as bright light filled the room. She and the others shielded their eyes."

* * *

"-n?" Weiss finished. She looked around. Somehow, she had wound up on the ground. She was in a blinding white void. Winter and Charles both lay short distances away, picking themselves up off the barely discernible floor. "Where are we?"

 **"** **Weiss Schnee. Winter Schnee. Charles Blackwill."** the crystal's voice seemed to emit and bounce from all around them, **"** **Let me start by assuring you your friends are safe. I have brought you into a small, but separate plane, to explain the details of the wishes granted to you."**

"You can bend reality?" Charles asked as he helped Winter to her feet.

 **"** **Y** **es.** **It is why granting Lem Cadellin's wish is not outside my reach. Boundaries mean nothing to the temple. Even I acknowledge its potential for misuse."**

"I see."

 **"** **Time may flow more slowly on this plane, but I should not waste any more time than I need to. Weiss Schnee, your wish is the most simple...you wish for your teammates' success in whatever they pursue...Know that while powerful, this temple's power is imperfect...your friends will not succeed at everything they try, but the** **odds will now be slightly tilted towards their favor** **."**

"I...really? T-...thank you..."

 **"** **It is not I you should be thanking. Now, Winter Schnee, you wish** **for the safety of those you consider family. You have improved the chances of success for both your sister and of Charles Blackwill."**

"Winter..." Charles turned to her. She gave him a small smile.

"As far as I'm concerned...you've been more of a parent to Weiss and myself than our actual father ever was."

"Winter..." the Bloodline felt tears form at the corners of his eyes, "...Thank you..." The older Schnee sister hugged him tightly. Weiss joined in on the embrace after a few moments as well.

 **"** **Charles Blackwill. Your wish is both the simplest and most difficult to grant. You wish to tell your children how proud of them you are...I am sorry to say I cannot fulfill this request immediately...only set the events in motion...and even I cannot say for sure where they will yet land."**

"I figured as much when you told Lem that our desires wouldn't be as complete as his."

 **"I am sorry."**

"Don't be. I'm sure Jerloh and Alyia know what I would say, even if I didn't get to say it in person. Besides...I've got family here to take care of now too."

* * *

Ryland rubbed the back of his head. He, Yang, and Carbon were stuck in a white void, and now the voice that had been coming out of the crystal was telling them what wishes they had been granted as collateral for whatever Vortex had wished for.

 **"** **Ryland Felstrand."**

"Yeah?"

 **"You wish for your parents to survive the war in your home. The temple has set these events in motion...but there is no guarantee."**

"You're kind of a crappy wish granting thing, then aren't you?"

 **"** **Bending the fabric of space and time is not as easy as you assume."** the voice replied with a hint of indignation.

"Are you _trying_ to piss off the reality bending temple?!" Carbon inquired.

"...Mayb- ow!" Ryland yelped as Yang punched him in the arm.

"Please _don't_ piss off the voice." She requested.

"Fine."

 **"** **Yang Xiao Long. You wish to someday meet your birth mother. This is simple for me to accomplish, and the events have been set in motion. As before, however, I can make no guarantees. Nothing is set in stone."**

"...Thanks...I guess..."

 **"My apologies for being unable to do more...but influencing the living** **s' actions** **is an imprecise art."**

"No...I mean...I'm not being ungrateful...I'm just...disappointed..."

 **"** **Your feeling is understandable. Now...Daeg Carbon-"**

"Your first name's 'Daeg'?" Ryland cocked his head.

"Kid, I swear to Remnant, if you don't shut up-"

 **"** _ **Enough**_ **! Daeg Carbon, you have wished for the longevity of your family. I cannot ensure the prevention of accidents or disease, but they will live long natural spans."**

"Thank you."

"Can you let us out of here now?" Ryland quipped.

 **"** **Gladly."**

* * *

"Albi, you okay?" Firo felt herself shook lightly and she opened her eyes. She'd closed them when the altar chamber had filled with light. Dimitri was on his knees next to her, a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Yes...I'm fine...where's Blake? And the others?" Firo pushed herself into a sitting position, then had the Russian help her to her feet.

"I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm right here." Blake's voice came from behind the rabbit Faunus. "I'm not sure where-"

 **"** **Blake Belladonna. Dimitri Averin. Albiona Firo. You have been brought to a separate plane to have your wishes granted."**

"What? Can you-" Dimitri started.

 **"** **I would rather not explain the nuances of this place again."**

"You got through dealing with Ryland just now, didn't you?" Blake inquired.

 **"Your assumption is correct."**

"Ah. Well, I can understand your frustration, then." Dimitri nodded. "Go ahead."

 **"** **Your wishes were...interesting. They overlapped in a way I never thought possible. You each wished for the other two to meet ones who have already passed.** **While influencing the living is difficult...the dead are not so hard...I will leave you all alone. You may leave whenever you are ready."** The voice faded, and a set of double doors appeared a good distance away from the trio.

"...Blake? Blake, is that you?" the student turned toward the voice. She'd never though she'd hear it again.

"Dad..." Blake already felt the tears of joy overwhelming her. In front of her stood her father, looking the same as the day he had died. As she rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around his chest, she took notice of the two other figures behind her father. A man with a pair of white rabbit ears atop his head, and a woman with short brown hair and a slight build.

"Albiona." The male rabbit Faunus greeted, "It's good to see you all grown up."

"Father?" Firo took hesitant steps towards the man, thinking it was almost too good to be true. As she overcame her hesitation and greeted her father in similar fashion to how Blake had greeted her own parent, Dimitri locked eyes with the thin woman.

"Hello, Matushka."

"Dimitri!" The woman walked over to the man and grasped his face in her hands. "You grew up so strong! And handsome! Ah, but perhaps you should shave the beard..." The woman started fawning over her son.

"Matushka, not right now." Dimitri pleaded, "I have two people I want you to meet."

"Getting too old to be looked after by your 'Mama', hmm? Introduce me to the ladies in your company, then." Blake and Firo led their respective parents over so that the six of them stood in a vaguely circular pattern.

"Ah, Mrs. Averin, is it?" Firo's father greeted, "Would it be alright if Mr. Belladonna and I speak to your son?"

"Of course." She nodded. "But if you are mean to him, I will-"

"Matushka, please..." Dimitri requested weakly.

"Ah, fine. I will speak to your two friends while you speak to their fathers." She waved and walked towards Blake and Firo. Dimitri turned to the two Faunus men.

"I apologize. My mother can be a bit...overprotective."

"I think all parents are." Blake's father nodded agreeably. "Which is why I'd like to thank you for watching after my daughter. Blake's got a good head on her shoulders, but she always tried to do things alone when I was around. From what she said, it sounds like you taught her the value of having friends to watch her back. Thank you."

"Much the same from me." Firo's dad acknowledged. "Albiona's never been as happy as she is now. Thank you for being her friend. And more...though, if you hurt my baby-girl..." he cracked his knuckles. "...not even death will keep me from teaching you a lesson." Despite the fact the rabbit Faunus was a head shorter than him, and half as broad, Dimitri could feel the potential killing intent housed in the smaller man.

"I plan on watching after them both for as long as I am able." The Russian replied.

"Sounds good to me." Firo's father replied. "Now, go make sure you all make it out in one piece."

* * *

 **"** **Alex Greene. Luna Azure. Ruby Rose."** the voice greeted. **"I have come to inform you of the desires that have been fulfilled."**

"I'm guessing you've done this several times already?" The Major asked the empty air.

 **"** **You are correct. Please refrain from delaying me."**

"Ryland?"

 **"Yes. Moving on. Luna Azure, you wish for the strength to help the others around you. Your request is simple, for you already possess most of the strength you believe you lack.** **The temple has granted you the potential for what you wish, but you must pursue the power on your own."**

"I- Thank you." Luna said, surprised.

 **"Alex Greene and Ruby Rose. You have unfinished business with those who have passed on.** **I have brought them here. I will leave you with a way out when you are ready."**

Ruby looked into the void, catching sight of the figure she had hoped to see.

"Mom!" the student ran to hug her mother, Summer Rose.

"Ruby!" It struck Alex how similar the two were. Right down to facial features, Ruby appeared to be a red clone of her mother. The two spoke animatedly to each other.

"Hey, didn't Mum always tell you it's rude to stare?" Alex felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to the male voice.

"Mikey..."

"In the flesh!...Spirit?...Ectoplasm?...I dunno...but, yeah, it's me."

"...Damn it..." Alex placed his hands on his younger brother's shoulders. "...I actually hoped it wouldn't work..."

"Al? What do you-" Mikey stopped as he saw the tears start to flow down his sibling's face.

"...T-there was always this part of me that hoped...you had survived...but if you're here...I'm sorry, Mike. I failed you. It was my job to protect you-"

"Hey, don't give me any of that crap. It's not your fault. You have any idea how lucky I am to have a hero for a brother?" Alex shook his head. "Look at it this way, your little brother wants you to go kick ass in his name, not spend time moping around that you can't be everywhere at once."

"...Thanks, Mikey."

"What are brothers for, right? Oh and before I forget...hey, you! Blue hair!" Mikey shouted to Luna.

"O-oh! Yes?" She stammered in response.

"You take good care of my idiot brother for me, alright?"

"R-right!"

"Great." Mikey smiled and turned back to his brother, "What're you doing standing there, moron? Go kick those bastards to the curb for me."

* * *

Alex saw the void fade as he, Ruby, and Luna stepped through the doorway the voice had left for them. They waved to the two figures as the distance between them grew. The three felt their feet touch solid ground. Alex did a quick headcount, finding all eleven of his friends present and accounted for.

 **"...** **It is done..."** the voice said. Alex's eyes drifted over to Vortex, who was leaned against the altar. Even from a distance, the soldier could see the strain the ritual had put on the Bloodline's body. What caught his eyes however, was the small girl wrapped in the man's arms. She stirred, her eyes cracking open to look at the Lord holding her.

"...Daddy...?"

* * *

 **A/N: Gah, this chapter. My trouble with this one was immense. A LOT of stuff had to be covered, and that made writing a bit difficult. Not 100% satisfied with it now, but I think it turned out alright.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Corey: I've been dusting off my drawing skills recently, if I make something passable, I'll be sure to let everyone know. Don't worry, the EDC will still be hanging around to cause trouble in future stories.**

 **Waterlord369: Glad to hear you like where I've gone so far!**

 **Dimas15: Jerloh and the others won't be showing up in Legends Scatter outside the recording. In a sequel, however...**


	54. Chapter 53

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 53

A man with black hair and green eyes walked down a road among tall buildings. In his arms he carried the groceries he had bought at his wife's bequest. While his current lifestyle lacked the excitement that his youth had contained, marauding about with Charles and the others, Lem Cadellin would not trade it for the world. He loved hearing his daughter's voice every time he came back from work or an errand. Without fail, Anise was always waiting behind the door.

The brief thoughts about his childhood home reminded Lem of something. Didn't Charles have a son and daughter around the same age as his Anise? She would probably enjoy meeting them and making some new friends. He hadn't actually been back to the town since his mother had passed away. That was something he should correct. Lem smiled to himself, remembering good times spent with them.

Life in the city was more difficult than Lem had expected originally, but it was still relatively easy to manage. He had to be cautious and keep his ability under wraps at all times. The last thing he needed was for his normal neighbors to mistake him for a member of the Order. The organization had been stirring up a lot of trouble for the last few years, and people who were suspected of being members were treated more than harshly by normal humans.

Lem entered through the door of the apartment complex he had called home for the last six years. He and his wife had moved into the building right before Anise had been born. He pressed the button for the elevator, to which there was no response. He shrugged, assuming the contraption had broken again. He turned towards the stairs and began his trek up to the fifth floor on foot.

As he neared the door to his home, Lem pulled his keys from his pocket. He stopped as he noticed the door was slightly ajar. He returned the keys to their original place, and gently pushed the door inward. His home was a mess. Papers and broken glass littered the floor.

"Anise? Val?" Lem called into the apartment. A foreboding feeling settled itself in his stomach. Then he saw it, Anise's favorite doll, laying abandoned on the floor. A drop of blood stained the stuffed toy's face, and more specks of the liquid led out the door. Lem dropped his grocery bags and followed the trail as best he could. The steady intervals of spots traveled down the building's second flight of stairs, and out of a maintenance exit into an alleyway. Lem continued to follow the path through the interwoven alleys of the city. The trail stopped abruptly outside an abandoned structure several blocks from his home. The wooden panels used to board up the condemned structure had been pried from their proper places and lay thrown to the ground.

Lem took a deep breath and pushed his way in through the door, letting some of his power collect in his hands. The building was dimly lit by light filtering in from the afternoon sun, causing Lem to eye the waving shadows around him warily. He followed the winding hallways of the building, looking for any open doors his wife and little girl could be in. He spotted a pair of doors, both unlocked. The one of Lem's left was slightly open, and he saw a woman's hand laying limp on the ground. Any sense of caution was thrown to the wind as he burst through the door. Val, his wife, lay unmoving on the ground. She was bruised, looking like she had put up a fight before having her throat cut. Lem tried futilely to find any sign of a pulse from his wife. Then he saw the second form lying on her side on the floor.

"A-Anise?" He shook his daughter's limp form. "Honey, wake up." She fell onto her back like a puppet with its strings cut. Lem's heart broke at that very moment. A wide, gaping, bloody hole had been blown in his little girl's chest. The mix of pain and shock was still frozen on her face. "Anise, no. No!" He picked her form up in arms and rocked back and forth gently, sobbing as he did. It was all a bad dream. It had to be.

"Knew if we made it obvious we'd catch the big one." A voice said from behind him. Lem weakly looked towards the form of a trio of large men standing in the door. He recognized them. They were his neighbors, people he had lived alongside for half a decade peacefully.

"W-why? Why would you do this?" The Bloodline felt tears streaming down his face.

"We weren't happy to learn that a couple of freaks and their spawn were livin' right next door. We did what any proper person would do, and we removed the monsters." One of the men shrugged. Lem's rage broke. He gently set Anise on the ground, rose, and turned around.

"SHE WAS A CHILD! I SEE NO MONSTERS EXCEPT THOSE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" He rushed forward and attacked. He made sure to leave nothing left.

* * *

Lem had given his family a proper burial as best he could. He gathered his belongings and wandered aimlessly. Every time he saw a normal person, his blood boiled angrily. Eventually, he had decided to join the Order. Lem had briefly returned to his hometown to bid his last goodbyes to Charles and Marie. He'd have liked to say his farewell to Aiko and Kyle as well, but Aiko had moved to Japan with her husband, and he had not heard from Kyle in years.

After trying for months to contact the Order, Lem succeeded, and found himself standing before the High Lord of the organization, Esprit, the Bloodline of the Soul. He learned that as the Bloodline of Wind, he would be granted a position as a Lord himself, given enough leeway to pursue vengeance against the humans that had taken everything from him. He had agreed without hesitation.

"Then today, Lem Cadellin has died." Esprit had said, "And in his place shall rise Vortex, Bloodline of Wind, Lord of the Order. I welcome you to the fold, and the new world we will create."

* * *

Vortex cradled Anise in his arms. She looked exactly the same as when she had died. Her dark hair was still the messy mop it had always been. The green eyes she had inherited from him gazed back into his own.

"...Daddy?" She asked.

"Yes, Anise...it's Daddy." He nodded weakly.

"W-where are we? Where's Mommy?" She looked around the unfamiliar room around her. "Do the bad men still have her?"

"...Anise...Honey, I'm so sorry..." Vortex held her close. "I failed to keep you and Mommy safe..."

"Don't cry, Daddy..." the little girl replied. She noticed the other people in the room, staring at her and her father. "Who are they? Are they with the bad men?"

"No...they won't hurt you..." Vortex slowly removed his sidearm and sword from his belt and placed them on the floor of the chamber. He slid them towards his old friend and the EDC. "Charles...I surrender."

* * *

Charles stepped over the weapons on the floor, walking towards the downed Lord. He extended a hand for him to take.

"Is it over?"

"...Yes..." Vortex appreciatively took the offer of help to his feet. "...It is finished..."

"You going to be alright?"

"The temple drained me...I am not sure how badly..."

"Take it easy, then."

"I realize...I have much to answer for...but...Anise...this is your Uncle Charles...he is an old friend of mine."

"H-hello, U-Uncle Charles." The little girl greeted from behind Vortex's leg.

"Hello, Anise. It's nice to meet you."

* * *

While Charles dealt with the weakened Vortex and his child, Alex pressed his radio to alert the combined force outside of their victory.

"Arthur, we got it. It's done." Only static answered the Major, "Arthur? Entrance team, come in." Silence.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about them." A voice normally laced with eerie joy said, only now, it was filled with malice. Alex and the others turned and immediately raised their weapons at the figure that had quietly entered through the doors into the altar chamber. Chaos grinned madly, dropping Mac's lifeless corpse to the ground. The twin doors of the chamber closed behind him. "I'd worry more about yourselves. Oh, your Guardian pal managed to get the other two away from me, in case you were wondering. I'd have liked to bring all four of them with me, but I had to settle for just this one idiot that though he could hold me off alone." Alex saw blood begin to seep from cleanly pierced wounds in Mac's body.

"You've lost, Chaos. There's not enough Void Dust left for you to make a wish with."

"Yeah, I'm real broken up about that...but, you see...I never really put much stock into legends anyway. I am a bit miffed that Vortex wasted a wish for anything on bringing back a little girl." Chaos shrugged, "Doesn't really matter...you're all going to die here anyway, Vortex included."

"You insane bas-" Vortex started.

"Ah, ah! No swearing in front of your kid." Chaos looked at Charles, who moved to the front of the group. "Terror. I've been looking forward to fighting you again. Do you have any idea how exciting it is to get to kill the same person twice?" Charles leveled his shortsword at the Lord and entered a readied stance. "No chatting this time, huh? Then let's play."

Alex had a moment to react, grabbing Luna and Ruby and pulling them to the side as Chaos unleashed his shadowy blades upon them. Charles' ability flared, and the shadows were quickly incinerated by a blast of violet flames. Alex jumped to his feet and dragged the two girls behind the altar for cover. The other occupants of the room had the same idea, taking up position beside the Major.

Unlike the last time they had fought in the White Fang base, Charles was giving Chaos no openings to warp away, made easier with the assistance of Weiss' glyphs to close the distance on the rival Bloodline. A constant barrage of slashes and blasts kept the Lord on the defensive, but Charles could not seem to gain the advantage either.

Alex took shots of opportunity as he saw them, peppering Chaos with bullets in an attempt to either wound to distract him. Dimitri set his machine gun up, keeping the weapon trained on the two combatants. As Charles jumped to the side of one of Chaos' blades, the Russian poured the weapon's hundred round belt of ammunition at the Lord. The younger Bloodline flinched for a moment before encasing himself in a sphere of his shadows to protect himself. Seeing the opportunity, the others opened fire with their own weapons. Carbon's plasma rifle poured its entire charge into the dark shield, smoking and overheating in the man's hands. Firo, Luna, and Ryland introduced the barrier to their conventional rifles, bullet's ricocheting off the spherical entity upon impact. Weiss continued to concentrate on increasing Charles' combat effectiveness with her semblance, while Winter guarded her in case Chaos teleported. Ruby planted Crescent Rose in the ground and rapidly squeezed off shot after shot. Blake and Yang contributed by emptying their weapons as well.

The shadows could not withstand the cascade of attacks. They crumbled and cracked under the assault. Chaos leaped back out of the sphere as it shattered like glass, raising four smaller blades in its place.

"Alright, it's been fun, everyone..." the Lord panted, "...but it's time to say goodbye." The four blades he had summoned began to spin and detach from their wielder. With a flick of his hand, the shadows spiraled through the air like spears. Charles deflected the two that had sailed towards him, but was unable to stop the other pair from impaling the crystal upon the altar. Alex tackled Luna and Ruby to the floor and covered them with his body as the crystal shattered into pieces. The voice of the temple died without uttering a word to any of them, but Alex could swear he heard the word "free" whispered as the shards scattered around them.

In the moment of confusion, Chaos summoned yet another blade. Alex saw the Lord's form morph as he prepared an illusion. Where Chaos had stood, now was the image of Charles' son, Jerloh.

As Charles whirled to strike, he froze. The illusion of his son laughed.

"You know, this is how I killed you last time too." The blade shot forward.

"CHARLES!" The Bloodline of Fear was knocked to the ground. Chaos' blade planted itself firmly in the gut of the man who had pushed his friend to the ground.

"Wow, Vortex. Trying to make amends all of a sudden?" the young Bloodline chuckled gleefully. "Going soft will cost yo-" Chaos jumped as he felt cold steel stab into his own abdomen. He looked down to see Vortex's blade thrust into his stomach. "You bastard!" The Lord twisted and wrenched the shadowy blade from his opponent's chest. The older man hit the floor with a sickening thud.

"Lem!" Charles yelled as his friend dropped beside him.

"Dammit!" Chaos screeched angrily, "WHY WON'T YOU ALL JUST DIE!?" Charles pulled Vortex with him as he rolled to avoid a downward stab of a shadow. Alex leveled his rifle at the crazed Aura's head. It clicked empty. He had only a short window to potentially kill the psychopath, and made a decision.

"Chaos. Why won't we die?" Alex tossed his rifle aside and charged at the Bloodline, "Because we have something to fight for!" The Major grabbed Vortex's blade and pushed forward. Chaos screamed as the sword was pushed all the way through his body. "Now, do me a favor and keel over yourself." Alex primed his armor's shock gauntlets and released the electrical charge into the blade. One of Chaos' shadows slashed across the soldier's chest, leaving a deep gash in his armor and sending him flying. The Lord staggered back, blood coming from both the wound in his gut and his mouth as he coughed.

"No. NO! I WILL NOT DIE HERE LIKE THIS! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED BY SUCH WORTHLESS CREATURES! I AM CHAOS! I CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED!" He screamed hysterically.

"Just shut up already!" Dimitri yelled back, firing at the crazed Lord. His bullets whistled through the air...only to strike nothing as Chaos vanished from sight. Vortex's blade hung in the air for a second before clattering loudly to the ground. The bleeding Bloodline's voice sounded from the other side of the closed chamber doors.

"MARK MY WORDS, I WILL DESTROY EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! AND WHEN I DO, IT WILL BE AGONIZING!"

Ryland and Carbon ran for the doors and kicked them open, only to be greeted by an empty hallway. The younger of the two lowered his weapon with a huff of frustration and yelled out into the vacant corridor.

"I hope you bleed out, you bastard!"

* * *

"Daddy?" Anise sat by her father's side with Charles. "Daddy, wake up, please." Tears rolled down her cheeks as Lem's body remained motionless. Despite the amount of pain he had suffered, the Bloodline had passed with a calm smile on his face. "Uncle Charles, what do we do?" Anise asked desperately.

"...Go with the others for now...they'll look after you."

"I wanna stay here with Daddy!" She cried.

"Anise..." Charles looked at the tear-streaked face before him. "...Alright, we'll stay with him until you're ready..." _Dammit, Lem, you could at least have had the decency to not die as my friend..._

* * *

Several hours later, after being patched up by an Atlesian medic and Luna, Alex walked down the halls of the Corvette. The slash across his chest had gone cleanly through the armor, creating a long, jagged gash that traveled diagonally upward from his waist to his left clavicle. It still ached dully.

Still, pain wasn't going to keep him from what needed to be done. Luna and Ruby were both walking beside him in case he needed help. The three of them entered onto the bridge. Alex counted the heads present, feeling pangs of heartache as he noted the missing face of Mac. Among the forces from Earth, he had been their only loss, but the Atlesians and the army of Vale were both hurting badly. Grimm and Shades had easily picked off over half of their number, and the other half was filled with countless wounded.

He had managed to keep his promise to Ruby...the twelve that had entered the temple had all returned alive. Anika, Arthur, and Emerald were still being patched up in the medbay from their encounter with Chaos, but they would live. He had seen Vio and Adam in the medbay as well, and the two Faunus assured him that their group was unharmed for the most part, thanks to Zephyr.

Alex hobbled up to Barnes, who was waiting patiently. He banished further thoughts of the injured and fallen. The General turned to him.

"Good work as always, Alex."

"Not sure I'd say that, Sir. Chaos got away..."

"That's true, but overall this was a win...a costly win...but a win." Barnes nodded. "Chaos will run and hide to go lick his wounds and gather his strength. He's on his own now."

"The Order is gone?"

"A good chunk of them. Most are dead or have surrendered. A handful managed to scatter, but I doubt many of them would be willing to work with that maniac."

"Is it too much to hope he'll just die from his injuries?" Alex tried to joke.

"Unfortunately, Alex, we both know Bloodlines are sturdy bastards."

"Yeah..." Alex stared out the window at the temple below. "We're sure it's harmless now?"

"Fairly...but James and I agree it's better to be safe than sorry. We've primed high explosives inside the structure itself. Without the crystal you described, it seems the building is no longer indestructible. Actually, the bombs should be going off right about- Oh, there they go." Alex moved closer to the glass to watch the temple as it caved inward on itself. The golden lights running along its sides flickered and died. The beacon shooting into the air wavered and dispersed. In a few short moments, the once grand structure was reduced to an unrecognizable pile of debris.

"What do we do now?" Luna asked from Alex's side, joining him to watch the dust in the air settle to the ground.

"Chaos is still out there. He could lay low for months, even years. Until he's dead, our job's not done."

"And when he does show up again?" Ruby joined the pair. Alex patted the girl's head.

"Then we'll be waiting...and we'll be ready."

* * *

 **A/N: It's far from perfect, but damn it felt good to write this at long last. Only the epilogue remains, at which time I will announce the plans for this AU and more. Thanks to all of you that have stuck with me for this long.**

 **As I said, Legends Scatter has now run all but one last chapter of its course. Fear not though, for after I post the epilogue and take a break for a while, we'll get right back into the adventures of the characters you've come to know.**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think with one of those if you want. Also, got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the question, send me a PM. As long as its not overly personal, I'll answer it.**

 **Also, the poll for your favorite character from Legends Scatter is still up on my profile. If you haven't already, please cast a vote.**

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Holy crap, eleven reviews for a single chapter. You guys are awesome. A big thank you to: Vostok4142, Skaana, Corey, Arukune, Hn117, Zachshadrack, Waterlord369, AnalPoptarts, Welcometodalolz, and the one unnamed guest. Thank you again for the words of support and encouragement. It may sound cliche, but what makes this worth it is for people to enjoy what I produce.**


	55. Epilogue

**RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.**

 **Please tune in at the end of the chapter!**

* * *

Epilogue

In the days following the events at the temple, Alex found himself settling back into a calmer state at Beacon Academy. The lack of being actively shot at and stabbed was a definite improvement. He sat down in the staff lounge and gazed idly out the window, a warm cup of fresh coffee in his hand. At the edge of campus sat the hastily constructed hangar that the Atlesians and EDC had built to house the Corvette.

He checked his scroll for the time, and drained the last bit of liquid from his mug. The soldier rose from his seat and stretched, causing a slight twinge of pain to shoot across his chest. Chaos' parting gift hadn't quite fully healed yet. Alex exited the empty lounge with no further delay, working his way down the now-familiar halls of the academy. He stopped in front of the entrance to a familiar testing room and pushed it open.

Ruby hopped up from her seat next to Jaune and Pyrrha. Luna gave him a smile and a wave. Alex returned the expressions with a grin of his own, then began to set up their training regiment for the day.

"So, how was your day?" The Major address the trio of students as he worked.

"Ruby was telling me how she fought team CRDL on her own during Glynda's class." Luna informed him.

"It was awesome!" Jaune added, using exaggerated gestures and noises to describe Ruby's fight.

"Well, after spending over a month with Alex and the others, I think I'm good in the 'practical experience' section." the cloaked girl smiled proudly.

"I'd say." Alex chuckled, pushing the last target into place. "Alright. Everyone ready to get started?"

* * *

Charles sat across from the two Schnee sisters and a little girl with dark hair. Between the four of them sat a rather familiar board game. Weiss placed a card down with a grin and posed triumphantly.

"HAH! Tremble in fear, residents of Vacuo, for Atlas has come to-"

"Trap." Anise held out a card of her own to the older girl. Weiss' right eye twitched.

"She's got her father's head for tactics and strategy, that's for sure." Charles nodded approvingly. Anise was incredibly intelligent for a child her age, and had thus far conquered over half the board and eliminated Winter entirely.

"You're quite the genius, aren't you Anise?" Winter said warmly. After she had lost, the older Schnee sister had let the little girl sit in her lap.

"Mhmm!"

" _Why_ can't I win!?" Weiss planted her forehead firmly on the table, causing the other three occupants to giggle uncontrollably. The younger Schnee lifted her head, trying her best to retain the appearance of being upset, but eventually ended up joining them in their laughter.

* * *

"You're late again, Ry." Yang said playfully as she let the boy into team RWBY's dorm room.

"Have no fear, I come bearing snacks, as usual." Ryland presented the shopping bag in his hand.

"Good. No punching for you today, then."

"I saw what you did to that second-year for trying to cut your hair. I know better than to incur your wrath."

"You know I'd go easy on you anyway, right?"

"Privileges of being handsome and charming, I suppose." Yang lightly slapped him in the stomach with the back of her hand. "What happened to-"

"Admit it, you deserved that one."

"Yeah, guess I did." Ryland smiled and shrugged and took a seat on the carpet of the room. Yang flipped off the lights, then placed herself next to him, controller in hand. "So, what's the selection for today?"

"I rented the scariest looking movie I could find. Should be fun."

"...You want an excuse to bear hug me in the middle of the film, don't you?"

"You can't prove anything!"

* * *

"Albi. Blake." Dimitri greeted as he sat down with the two girls at a simple table in the academy plaza. "Any news?"

"Yes," Blake nodded, "Adam sent me a message. He and the others finally were able to set out for Atlas to try and diffuse the situation between the military and the White Fang." Vio and Adam had left with Erwin, Zephyr, Neo, and Roman. The last time he had seen them, the Russian had seen the shared determination in their eyes to help set things straight in the world. With their friendship, the six of them would go far.

"What about you?" Firo asked.

"Helping the General set up his new classroom." Dimitri answered. Ozpin had offered Barnes a position alongside Glynda to teach military tactics and teamwork to the students. Goodwitch would handle teaching the kids about aura and weapons, and the aged soldier would teach them to apply what they learned. The General had also brought along Cinder to act as his aide while he taught both the students and her.

"Sounds like you've been busy." the rabbit-eared woman said.

"It's not so bad." the Russian shrugged.

"Oh, Mr. Averin, have you seen Arthur today? I was going to exchange notes with him from Professor Port's class."

"I did, actually. Back in the library on my way here."

"I'd better go talk to him, then." Blake rose from her seat and grabbed her bag. "I'll be back in a while!" She yelled as she sprinted towards the academy building. Ozpin had integrated Arthur, Anika, and Emerald into the student body as an unofficial three-man team. He though the trio would do well in the academy, and for now, they seemed to be enjoying the change of pace.

"...Do you think he's really gone?" Firo asked once Blake was out of earshot. "Chaos, I mean."

"We can hope, but I until I see a body, I can only be prepared for him to come back." Dimitri replied. He looked towards his companion and smiled. "I'm not too worried, though. After all, I've got the best people around to fight by my side."

* * *

Chaos rose from his makeshift bed of leaves within the cave he had taken shelter in. Against all odds, he had survived, but was far from healed. A semi-cauterized hole had been bored through his gut, accompanied by multiple broken ribs and days of exhaustion. His power had yet to fully replenish itself, and was further delayed by the onslaught of creatures. He didn't know where he was either. He had emptied all of his energy into a single, random warp. He could be anywhere on this world.

Still, as long as he was alive, the Lord held a dark hope in his heart. Someday, when he'd recovered and built up an army to serve him, he would return to wreak havoc. It might take years, but in the end, it would be worth it. The howls of the first wave of werewolf-like creatures sounded from the treeline. Chaos managed to crack a smile.

"Come. Let's play."

* * *

 **A/N: It's over for now. The Order lies in tatters, and Chaos has been driven away to who-knows-where. It has been a great thrill to pump out the over 125,000+ words for you guys. The reception for this story was greater than I could have ever hoped for!**

 **Thank you to all of you that have left reviews, PMs, favorites, and follows for the run of Legends Scatter!**

* * *

 **ANNOUNCMENT TIME:**

 **Now that this story is complete, I will taking a short break from writing for a little while.** **However, that doesn't mean I will be inactive.** **If you notice, the story has not yet been marked as complete.**

 **I will conducting a Q &A for this final section, so if you have something you want to ask me, send it as a PM and I will answer it along with the others in a final post, ****at which time Legends Scatter will be marked as complete. Please don't leave your questions as reviews if you have an account.** **Simple guidelines for** **the** **questions: don't ask if you don't feel like sharing** **publicly.** **You may submit up to three questions, or four if one is really short.**

 **I will probably include a teaser for the sequel I have planned to eventually follow Legends Scatter at the end of the Q &A. ****On that subject, I have a question for all of you. The planned follow-up will have a time-skip** **from the end of this story to the beginning of the next** **. I had the idea to potentially do separate, shorter stories for each different group of characters (I.E. Blake, Dimitri, and Firo) that would take place within this empty time-span.** **Does this sound like something you guys would like? Or should I hop on straight to the sequel when I'm ready?** **The decision is ultimately mine, and will depend on whatever state of mind I'm in when I decide to sit down to write again, but I'd like to get all of you to weigh in on this.**

 **Thanks again for** **staying with me all the way through this story! All of you are awesome individuals, and I thank each of you for your support!**

 **-** **Resolution**


	56. Q&A update

**I have a short change to make regarding the Q &A segment, as well as a little more information. Your questions do not have to directly pertain to Legends Scatter, they can be about myself, the universe Alex and Dimitri are from, or anything really. I am lifting the request to not post your questions in the reviews, so you can go ahead and do that now. I didn't realize the mobile version of the site had no easy way to send PMs.**

 **The chapter itself will be uploaded on the 9th, so there is plenty of time to think up something to ask if you don't have something already. So far, only one person has sent in questions. I'm interested in what you guys have to ask, so please come up with something if you can.**

 **\- Resolution**


	57. Q&A

**THE GLORIOUS Q &A**

* * *

Hello, and welcome to the Legends Scatter Q&A! I'm probably going to do one of these at the end of any long stories I do. But, let's not delay and skip right to the good stuff!

* * *

 **AnalPoptarts' Questions:**

Q1: "Will the Corvette ever be space worthy?"

A: With enough work and resources it could be, but the EDC doesn't exactly have access to all the tech they would normally use to diagnose and repair the ship quickly.

Q2: "Is Lem/Vortex really dead?"

A: Yes, Lem is gone from the world of the living. Anise will be his legacy, as she is next in his Bloodline.

Q3: "How long until the sequel?"

A: That's still up in the air at the moment. Optimally, I would probably say I'd come back with the sequel in around a month or two, but knowing how life tends to screw me over at times, it might be longer.

* * *

 **Hirshja's Questions**

Q1: "What year is the story supposed to take place in in early years?"

A: The Earth that the EDC and Guardians is from is set in the year 2998, at least when Alex and Dimitri "die".

Q2: "Did this story evolve as time went on, or did you already have it defined at the start?"

A: A weird mix of both, actually. I had every chapter planned out up until the breach from the beginning. I had a general outline of where I wanted to go with the story afterwards, but most of the finer details were hammered out or edited slightly as I went.

* * *

 **Stevealio's Question**

Q: "Do you plan on doing something else instead of Legends Scatter?"

A: For the time being, I'm going to be sticking with the Legends Scatter AU, but I plan to branch out later on.

* * *

 **Eogos' Question**

Q: "What was the layout of the Earth Alex is from? Like what countries/continents were controlled by the EDC/Order forces.

A: Technically, the EDC has control over the entirety of Earth's landmasses. The Order is essentially a global terrorist/ "freedom fighting" organization. The EDC ended up mostly having to go on the defensive because the Order could maintain multiple fronts simply by throwing enough Shades at them.

* * *

 **And now for what you've probably been waiting for: The prologue of the next story!**

* * *

 _ **PROLOGUE**_

"Rotate all cannons to stern. Teach these Order bastards a lesson, Ensign."

"Aye, sir." The weapons operator nodded. Admiral Dietrich turned as he picked out the sound of the bridge door sliding open amidst the dull thudding of the EDC Dreadnaught, Maw of the Abyss', heavy cannons. A woman strode onto the control deck, she was surprisingly young for the station she held, only thirty-five, but Dietrich had nothing but respect for her.

"General Evans." the Admiral greeted her briefly before turning a majority of his attention back to the battle at hand. "What brings you up here?"

"Just came to see what was taking so long." She replied. "My troops and our friends in the hangar are itching for some action."

"We have to do this correctly. If we miss this chance, Agony will simply vanish to go build up his forces again."

"I know that. I've spent the last several months chasing him down, same as you." General Evans sighed. Even though the war with the Order had been officially declared finished for twelve years, many elements of the organization still drifted around Human-controlled space causing trouble and managing to recruit new members to their cause. They were, however, a shadow of their former power, something the female General was pleased with.

"I'll see if we can speed this up." Admiral Dietrich breathed. "Tell Blackwill to keep his shirt on, and I'll get him close enough to see some action in a jiffy."

"I'll be sure to pass on the message." Evans nodded. "I'll also let you get back to work."

"That would be much appreciated." he replied kindly, turning his full attention back to the battle unfolding out the bridge's windows. "I want a torpedo volley targeted at their Flagship, disable their hangars."

General Evans worked her way down the corridors of the Maw, occasionally feeling a slight shake as the five smaller Order ships exchanged fire with the sole EDC vessel that had tracked them down. She made a turn into one of the Dreadnaught's large hangars, where she quickly spotted two figures in snow-white armor, surrounded by a large audience of men and women in EDC olive and tan.

As she drew nearer, Evans also spotted the trio of children sitting on the floor while one of the people in white, the male of the two, recounted "epic tales" in an extravagant manner. Why the two Guardians had decided to bring their respective children along was not lost on Evans. All three of the children were recently awakened Bloodlines, and their parents thought it best to keep them close to protect and instruct them about their new powers.

The sole male child was the easiest to deal with from what the General had heard from the child's parent. Since his mother had been granted her Bloodline ability by the Reaper during the war, his ability was more stable than the long histories of the two other lines aboard the ship.

"Are we to begin soon, General?" the voice of the third, absent Bloodline sounded from behind Evans.

"Oh, Ign- I mean, Mr. Aedus." Evans quickly corrected herself as she greeted Ignis. "Yes, we'll be heading out once the Admiral finishes getting us in position."

"Blackwill will be pleased." the Bloodline of Fire commented. "He's been complaining about 'not getting to stretch his legs' incessantly."

"He'll shut up once we get started." Evans nodded, walking towards the Guardian and his gathered audience. One of the two small girls turned her head to face the approaching General. Her hair and eyes matched her father's, who was gesturing and posing dramatically.

"Hi, Auntie Marcia!" she said loudly.

"Hello, Alexis." the General smiled, as she always did when she remembered who the girl was named after. "I'm sorry to interrupt your story, but I have to borrow your Daddy and other Auntie, okay?"

"Okay!" came the eight-year-old's happy reply. She got up from the metal floor of the hangar, and with some prompting from her father, led the other two children to the far end of the area, away from the adults.

"Evening, Marcia." The male Guardian greeted, his helmet in his hands.

"Jerloh." Evans nodded to the two figures in white, "Alyia."

"So, how long until we get started?"

"Not long."

"Good," Jerloh said, bobbing his head. "I've been getting fat sitting around on this ship. Can't be Lex's personal superhero if I put on too many pounds."

"Well, that should be resolved soon enough. Just get everything ready."

"I'm as ready as I can get, you and Aly made me keep the crows at home." He shrugged.

"Fine, then just-" Marcia began her friendly back-and-forth with Jerloh, when she was suddenly cut off by the ship's intercom.

" _HYPERSPACE_ _ANAMOLY DETECTED. ALL HANDS BRACE._ " The Dreadnaught began to shake violently. Her years of training and experience kicking in, Marcia managed to radio the bridge.

"Admiral, what's going on?"

"I- -n't kno- Ord- -ployed someth- -eing pulled in- -fereing with comms-" The garbled reply came in over her earpiece, interlaced with harsh static. A bright flash of light enveloped both the EDC Dreadnaught and their foe. When it was gone, the four mile-long vessel no longer had any opponents. "General, comms have cleared up, no enemy in sight." Silence. "General? General Evans, are you there?"

Marcia groaned and blinked as she lay on her back. It had been years since she had been this sore. She pushed herself into a sitting position off the grass- grass? She looked down at the vegetation she had suddenly found herself occupying. She looked around, finding herself alone aside from a pile of stray crates from the hangar.

"Status!" She yelled, hoping for a response as confusion threatened to overwhelm her.

"Present." Jerloh's voice answered. The General turned in time to see the Guardian push his way out of the pile of crates, his daughter held tightly in his arms. He must have run to grab her when the initial warning had sounded. "You alright, Marcie?"

"I'm fine." She answered. She pressed her earpiece, transmitting a message. "This is General Evans, any EDC or allied forces, respond." There were a few moments of silence before the radio crackled to life.

"Marcia, this is Alyia. I'm with Ignis and two of the kids, but no one else."

"I'm with Jerloh and Lex. We're all fine."

"That's good to hear."

"Hey, Marcie?" the Terror Bloodline yelled from where he stood on a small rise. As the General joined him at the apex of the hill, she was greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar landscape. Jerloh covered his daughter's ears before he asked the next part of his question. "Where the hell are we?"

* * *

 **Hopefully, this suspense will excite you for what is to come. See you all later, have a great day!**

 **\- Resolution**


	58. Update

Hi, everyone! Just quickly posting this to let you know that the time has come! The sequel to Legends Scatter, "Blood and Flame" has begun. The updates might be a bit slower for this story than the last, but I will continue to do my best. Thanks and enjoy!


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